Another Beginning
by XxFlowerAngelxX
Summary: Sasusaku. What if Sakura had a different childhood. Her father died when she was five, she never liked Sasuke during her academy days, her uncle hates her and wants her dead, and she vowed to be strong. Follow Sakura back to the beginning of 'Naruto'.
1. Chapter 1

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Hey everyone, this is my second fanfiction. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1: Prologue

"Sakura, be strong."

Those were the last two words he said to me.

Why? Why Uncle? Why did you have to kill tou-san, your own brother? He looked at me with sharp, gray eyes, the same eyes as my father, who laid there dead in front of him. Kaa-san kneeled next to me, with both arms around my small, five year old body. She was crying. Uncle looked at her, his eyes filled with hate. He slowly came towards us, his right hand holding his bloody katana. I froze. We were going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt useless, and weak. I didn't want to feel this way. Tou-san always told me, that as a shinobi, I should never feel useless or weak. I had promised him that I wouldn't, and I just broke that promise.

Suddenly, Kaa-san made a pleading motion.

"Please, Kioshi, (AN: If you've read my first story, then you would know that the names I use are real Japanese names.) you don't need to do this. Let's talk things over. Please, don't take another life!"

"Both you and my brother, Kichiro, never gave me the chance to 'talk things over' when I was arrested for stealing the forbidden scroll. You merely allowed me to rot in prison for two years. How could you do something like that?! I was merely trying to make the Haruno clan stronger! I was only doing what was best for the clan! If my plan had worked, we could've been stronger that the Hyuuga's or even the Uchiha's!"

"But your ways were wrong, Kioshi, the forbidden scroll is too dangerous-"

"The forbidden scroll belongs to the Harunos. We have every right to use it as we wish! Our ancestor, Haruno Fumio, was the writer and the founder of all those wonderful jutsus! Why are we forbidden to use something created by our own ancestor?!"

"Because the last time the scroll was used, it brought chaos to the ninja world. The jutsus are too powerful and you-"

"Enough, Manami, as beautiful as you are, your sight disgusts me. Prepare for you, and your precious child to die."

He held up his sword over our heads. I was too scared to scream, so I merely widened my eyes. Kaa-san brought a trembling hand on top of my head, and pulled closer to me. She did it as if it would hide me, saving me from all the danger.

"No…stop…..please! You can take my life, but let Sakura live. She didn't have anything to do with the imprisonment, and she's just a child. Please, I'm begging you, spare her…"

Uncle ignored her pleas, and swung his sword down. I closed my eyes, waited for the impact. It never came. When I opened them, I saw a young teen that had long black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a standard ANBU uniform and was blocking Uncle's attack with his own katana. Soon, more and more of the ANBU appeared around us. Uncle drew back quickly.

"Haruno Kioshi, you are under arrest for breaking out of prison, murdering multiple citizens, and attempting to murder these two. Drop your katana and surrender immediately. The entire household has been surrounded."

He snorted, then snapped his fingers. His followers appeared around him. Most of them were Harunos. He looked straight at us with a sharp glare.

"Mark my words, you two, I will get my revenge and get a hold of the forbidden scroll. And when I do, I will use the scroll's power to kill anyone that opposed me in the past, beginning with you, Uchiha Itachi."

"He disappeared in a flash along with his followers. Many of the ANBU quickly ran outside, trying to sight them. The man in front of us, who I assumed was Uchiha Itachi, stayed. He knelt down, smiled at me, and gently patted my head."

"Don't worry little girl, you're safe now."

I still couldn't speak, so I nodded. I'm safe, at least for now.

AN: What do you think? Sorry it's so short. Oh, and if anyone wants to know the definition for their names I used, check my profile. REVIEW!!


	2. Chapter 2

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap: "Don't worry little girl, you're safe now."_

_I still couldn't speak, so I nodded. I'm safe, at least for now._

Chapter 2: Orientation

-7 years later-

Sakura's POV

_I stood in front of tou-san's grave, tears pouring out of my eyes. Kaa-san was there beside me, weeping as well. I looked up at the sky. It's ironic how the weather could be so nice without tou-san in the world. The sky was a perfect shade of light blue, and hardly had any clouds floating around. Tou-san has always loved the sky. He would frequently take Kaa-san and I to a clearing and gaze at the sky for hours._

_I wiped the tears from my eyes. I can't cry anymore. Tou-san told me that crying was useless, and that I should spend my time doing something useful instead of shedding useless tears. He was right, I shouldn't cry anymore._

_Then, I made the actions that I would remember for the rest of my life. I bite my thumb, hard, until I tasted the warm blood oozing out. Then, I walked towards Tou-san's grave until I was right in front of it. With my thumb, I drew a small cherry blossom with my blood. My tears had stopped, and I held my head high with dignity like a queen. Kaa-san even stopped weeping and focused her attention on me._

_"From now on, I will no longer be useless and weak. I will try my hardest to protect those dear to me. I will not shed another tear. And I vow to you, Tou-san, that I will become strong, and avenge your death."_

_That day, a new door opened for me, and with that, a new life._

-end of dream-

I woke up in a daze. I couldn't believe, that after all these years, I was still having that same dream. I hated dreams about my past. They only brought me unwanted memories about my tou-san, and my uncle. To this day, I still haven't forgiven him for what he did. Who could? I mean he murdered multiple people and became an S-class criminal.

"Sakura…hurry up and get dressed. You're going to be late for the orentation."

"Haaaaaiiiiii!"

Listening to Kaa-san, I got out of bed and stretched my arms. Then, I walked towards my closet. It didn't have a lot of different styles of clothing inside. Only a couple training outfits, one kimono for special occasions, and one or two casual outfits that Ino, my best friend, forced me to buy. She's such a shopaholic and drags me with her most of the time.

I dressed myself in a red tank top with the Haruno symbol in the back (which is hidden behind my long, pink hair), a white skirt, and black, knee-length shorts underneath. I wrapped a couple bandages around certain parts of my arms and legs to help heal a couple minor injuries from training. I wore them with pride, cause it shows that I train hard enough to injure myself, although Kaa-san has been worried, and constantly scolds me about going past my limit.

Then, I took my hairbrush from my dresser and combed my waist length hair. Finally, I tied my headband on, holding back my hair. After looking at myself one more time in the mirror, I headed downstairs. I was ready for my first day as a kunoichi.

"Ohayo, Kaa-san."

"Ohayo, Sakura. Are you excited for the orientation."

"A little…I just hope I get put into a good team. You know, one that's freiendly and gets along with each other. With any luck, I'll be on the same squad as Ino-chan."

"Oh honey, that's highly unlikely. They rarely put two kunoichi's on the same team, but you two will still see each other around. Anyways, don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will work out. Now sit down and have some breakfast."

"Hai."

"I made your favorite: dango. I know how much you like sweets."

"Arigato, Kaa-san."

She smiled at me and left the room to do the daily chores. Kaa-san is a great woman. Not only is kind and smart, but also very beautiful. She had beautiful, long black hair, and jade eyes that sparkle (like mine). She was a chunin back in the days, but retired after marrying tou-san. She really wasn't cut out for the shinobi life.

Kaa-san and I had it hard after tou-san died. Not only were we left with a broken heart, but Kaa-san was retired so we had no way of making a living since Tou-san supported the family with missions. We inherited a little money from clan, since Tou-san was head of the Haruno clan, but not much. It only lasted us a couple months. Therefore Kaa-san was forced to get a job. She got a job as an academy teacher, and, as a night nurse at the hospital on the weekends. It tore my heart apart seeing her become so stressed with work. To me, becoming a teacher would've been plenty, but Kaa-san insisted on becoming a night nurse to make extra money to give me a better life (like extra clothes, books, ninja tools and anything else I wanted). Tonight, I will try to convince her to quit her job at the hospital since I would be making money from missions from now on.

After finishing the dango, I headed out. I said 'ja ne' to Kaa-san on my way as I passed the garden, which she was watering. Then, I headed towards the academy. On my way there, I met up with Ino.

"Ohayo, Ino-chan."

"Ohayo, Kura-chan."

We walked to school together, chatting lightly along the way. Ino and I have been best friends since the beginning of our academy days. She was the only one that didn't make fun of my forehead. Back when we first started the academy, I was still in the process of getting over Tou-san's death. Therefore, when the others made fun of me, I didn't have enough courage to stand up for myself. Ino helped me get over that stage, and we've been really close since. However, We have nothing in common. Ino was the queen of fashion and socialization, while I was the quiet type, and spent most of my time training and studying. Also, Ino had the biggest crush on one of our classmates, Uchiha Sasuke, while I never even looked twice at a boy.

When we got there, Ino immediately ran towards Sasuke, along with a billion other of his fan girls (Who where mostly wearing very revealing clothing unfit for a ninja). I pitied that boy, sometimes, because it seems that I'm the only girl in the entire world that realizes that he hates fan girls. I don't even know what they see in him. I mean, I guess he's kinda cute and all, but not enough to worship by his feet. Also, I've noticed how sometimes, he could be very rude and arrogant, which I didn't like. I hope he isn't on my squad, or his fan girls will have my head.

I sat in an empty row, waiting for Ino to join me once she was done fangirling. During that time, Naruto came over. He was the class clown, and tries to flirt with me very often. It kinda annoys me but I don't want to be mean or anything. Usually, Ino's with me when this happens, and she chases him away for me. This time however, I was not do fortunate.

"Hi Sakura-chan!"

"…hi…"

"Aren't you excited that we finally graduated from the academy? We're full fledge ninja now!"

"…Uh huh…"

He sat next to me in the seat I was saving for Ino. We were very close, so I scooted away. I wasn't use to being so close to a boy, even if it's just Naruto. For what seemed like an hour, Naruto rambled on about random things, mostly ramen. I was forced to be tortured by his presence because I didn't want to be impolite. Finally, Ino glanced towards me and I gave her a look that screamed 'Help!' To my relief she quickly made her way towards us.

"Naruto no baka! What are you doing in **MY **seat!"

"…uhhh…"

He had a look of panic in his eyes. Ino can sure be scary at times.

"Well, what are you waiting for…**GET OUT OF MY SEAT!!**"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Poor Naruto ran like the wind. Then, Ino looked at me sternly.

"What gives, Kura-chan? You should've told him to go away if he was annoying you that much."

"I didn't want to be impolite."

She sighed and sat down next to me.

"Same old goody-two-shoes Kura-chan. When will you ever learn?"

"I am not a goody-two-shoes!"

"Mmmhmm, sure you aren't. -sigh-"

She glanced towards Sasuke and all of his fan girls. I began to feel guilty about making Ino come over here. It was evident that she would much rather be with Sasuke.

"Sorry I had to pull you away from Sasuke, Ino-chan."

"Hmm? Oh don't worry about that! Sasuke-kun was ignoring us anyways, and Ami and her crew were being bitches. Besides, I think I'm going to play hard-to-get from now on."

"…Well, I hope that works."

"…Yeah…but you know what I really wish for?"

"What?"

"I wish to be on Sasuke-kun's team. I mean how cool would that be, to be by Sasuke-kun's side everyday during training and missions? Not to mention that I'll probably be the only girl on the squad, so I'll have him all to myself! –squeal-

I sweat dropped. Ino could such a fan girl at times. All I know is, Ino better be on Sasuke's team, or she'll throw a major tantrum. And that, my friends, would not be pretty.

Finally, Iruka-sensei arrived to announce our teams. I waited patiently to be called while Ino could hardly stay still in her seat.

"…Squad Seven: Uzumaki Naruto…Haruno Sakura…"

"Whoo-hoo! I get to be with Sakura-chan!"

Perfect, this can't get any worst, can it?

"…and Uchiha Sasuke…"

I swear, time stopped fro a couple seconds. Then, all of a sudden, the entire female population was out to get me."

"WHAT!!"

"WHY DOES SHE GET TO BE WITH **MY **SASUKE-KUN?!"

"YOURS? MINE!!

"NO MINE!!"

"SASUKE-KUN LOVES ME!!"

"NO! ME!!

"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD LOVE SOMEONE AS UGLY AS YOU!!"

"WHO YOU CALLING UGLY, UGLY?!"

And that is how a slap fight between fan girls start. I looked at Ino. She had her head down and refused to look at me.

"Gomenasai, Ino-chan…demo…it wasn't my fault…I swear….I don't like him…"

"Hmph!"

She got up and moved to another seat. I couldn't believe it. I just lost my best friend over some boy that I don't even like, wait, scratch that, despise. I looked towards the Uchiha and gave him the best death glare I could muster. He seemed surprised at first, but merely glared back. After what seemed like hours, I looked away and stuck my nose up into the air. There was no way that I would let something so foolish waste my time.

It took quite a while for Iruka-sensei to get the fan girls to calm down. When he finally did, he continued announcing the teams.

"Squad Eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino………Squad Ten: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji………You will meet your Jounin leaders after lunch. Class dismissed!"

I walked around outside, looking for Ino. She fled the classroom in a hurry, looking pretty upset. Then again, who could blame her? Her teammates are nicknamed 'lazy bum,' and 'food boy.' I just hope that she still isn't mad at me about being on the same team as the Uchiha.

"SAKURA-CHAN!!"

Great, just what I needed.

"Nani, Naruto?"

"Well…I was thinking…do you…maybe wanna have lunch with me? I mean, you know…since we're on the same team and all…we should try to get to know each other…right?"

"-sigh- Naruto, I don't have time for you right now. I gotta go look for Ino-chan. Can't you find someone else to bother?"

I walked away before he had a chance to answer. Maybe I was a little too harsh on the boy, but Ino comes first. She's the first and only friend I've ever made, and I can't lose her now.

After walking around for half an hour, I finally gave up, I mean, I need to have lunch, don't I? I sat down on an empty bench at the park and quietly ate my bento. I was in deep thought about my squad. I kept on going back to what Kaa-san said this morning, _everything will work out. _I sure hope so.

After a while, I felt as though I was being watched. I looked up, only to see Uchiha Sasuke…staring…right…at…me. He had his famous Uchiha smirk on his face as he slowly walked towards me. His presence was such a surprise that I could hardly respond to his actions. He stopped right in front of me, and gazed endlessly in to my eyes. I wondered to myself, is this really Sasuke?

"Hey, Sakura."

"…hi?"

"Your forehead is so wide and charming, I could just kiss it."

Okay, now I defiantly know that he isn't Sasuke. I concentrated for a while, trying to find him chakura signature. When I did, I recognized it immediately. I gave 'Sasuke' a good punch in the face, revealing who it really was.

"Naruto!!"

I couldn't believe that the idiot would go so low to try to hit on me. I let out a long sigh and walked away before I lost my temper any further, leaving a beat up Naruto against a tree that looked as if it would fall any minute now.

AN: What did you think? I know that Sakura seems calmer than the actual anime, but don't worry. She still has a nasty temper and someday, someone's going to blow her off the edge.

Here's a little something extra for you guys. **MUST READ!!**

Sakura: Really?! Who is it, tell me! –jumps up and down happily-

Sharon (AN): I haven't made up my mind yet. It'll probably be Naruto, or maybe Sasuke.

Sakura: Yes!! Wait, can it be both? I wanna get Sasuke back for his damn fan girls, and Naruto back as well for being so annoying.

Sharon: I'll think about it, but I assure you, when it happens, the victim will wish that he were dead.

Naruto: Aww, Sakura-chan, Sharon-chan, why do you guys have to be so mean? –pouts-

Sasuke: Hn, even if you two weaklings combine your strength, you'll still never scare me. –smirks-

Sakura: Damn you arrogant Uchiha!! When the time comes, I'm gonna-

Sharon: Shhh Sakura, no spoilers!

Sakura: …Fine, but I will get him one day, right?

Sharon: I said **NO SPOILERS!!**

Sakura: -gulp- Yes ma'am.

Sharon: Now be a good little girl and tell them what I told you to announce.

Sakura: Hai, please **REVIEW** and Sharon will give you a cookie (maybe).

Sharon: Good girl, now remember… **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!**

Sakura: Please do it, or she'll go mad I say MAD!!

Sharon: Excuse me?

Sakura: Uh, nothing, never mind.

Sharon: I thought so.

Sakura: -mouths 'help me!'


	3. Chapter 3

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

_Recap: I let out a long sigh and walked away before I lost my temper any further, leaving a beat up Naruto against a tree that looked as if it would fall any minute now._

Chapter 3: Kakashi-sensei

Sasuke's POV

Damn it Naruto, Where did you go? Don't you dare think that you can get away from me after you pulled a stunt like that!

_-flashback-_

_I was merely sitting there quietly, eating a rice ball. I thought about my new teammates. It was obvious that I was the strongest of the three. Naruto is the class clown, and would probably slow me down from my ambition. On the other hand, I don't know much about Sakura. I've heard rumors that she's the strongest kunoichi in our class, but then again, none of the kunoichi have any potential. She could become the best kunoichi easily by knowing one or two simple techniques a five-year-old could learn. Then again, she did surprise me when she glared at me during class today. I mean I've never met a girl that didn't have hearts in her eyes the minute she lays her eyes on me. Then again, if I remember correctly, she never was a fan girl. Well, I could say that she defiantly is interesting._

_-wham-_

_What the hell?! I looked up to see Naruto right in front of me._

_"What the hell was that for, idiot?"_

_"Sasuke, today's the day I'm gonna take you down!"_

_"Hn, I 'd like to see you try."_

_"You're on, but just remember, you asked for it. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"_

_What, no way?! He wasn't able to create a single clone that was able to move during the graduation exams. How is he able to perform such a complex technique?!_

_Before I had time to react, the Naruto clones attacked me. He had the element of surprise, thus pinning me down and tying me up. I glared at him. Then, he did the strangest thing. He transformed into me. Then left the room, leaving me there tied up._

_-30 minutes later-_

_Kusco! I can't believe that the idiot defeated me. And why did he transform into me? Dammit, Naruto, what are you planning?_

_-escape jutsu-_

_Finally, I got out. You just wait Naruto! Once I find you, I'm gonna make your life a living hell!_

_-end of flashback-_

Shit! He isn't here either. Last place to search is the park. But, when I got there, I found a big surprise.

There he was, the person I was searching for, the person who I was going to beat into a bloody pulp. However, it looks like someone got to him first. Because lay against a broken tree, unconscious. Who did it? Well whoever it was, I'm gonna find him, because no one beats up my prey.

I walked toward him and held him by the collar. Then, I shook him 'gently,' trying to wake him up.

"…uh…oh…huh? Sasuke-teme, What are you doing here? H-h-how did you get out?"

I smirked, how ignorant to think he could hold me off for long.

"It's something called talent, dobe."

"Hey don't call dobe, teme!"

"Hn, whatever."

"So, I guess Sakura-chan left.'

"Sakura? She was here?"

"Yeah, you see after I transformed into you I…uh I…"

"-glare- What did you do, Naruto?"

"Well…-gulp-…you see…gotta go!"

He pushed himself away from me, catching me off hand for the second time today. I was really getting annoyed with him. He ran as fast as he can towards the academy, with me following right behind him. As expected, I was faster that him, but not by much. He seems to have an endless amount of stamina. After tailing him for a couple minutes, I was able to make it in front of him, blocking his way.

"Naruto, answer me before I give you the worst beating of your life."

"…fine, but let me just tell you before hand, that I didn't do any damage-"

"Naruto!"

"Okay okay…after I transformed into you, I planned to approach Sakura-chan. I wanted to talk to her you know, as you so-"

"Nani!"

"Wait, let me finish…she saw through the whole act, so she punched me and stormed off. See, no harm done."

"….."

"-sigh- I can't believe Sakura-chan saw through it. I mean I looked exactly like you, didn't I. And who knew Sakura-chan could punch so hard? I mean, when I look at her I see a beautiful girl, but I guess inside…"

I took off, unnoticed by the dobe. There was no way I was going to waste time listening to him go on and on about his stupid crush. So Sakura was the one that did it. I mean she was the smartest student in our class, so the fact that she was able to see through Naruto's act was not a total surprise. But the fact that she was able to beat Naruto up so seriously is another story. I thought back to the academy. Was she ever that strong? I never paid much attention to her, but I do remember her being the first to answer difficult questions and complete complex chakra exercises. Other than that, I've never really seen her display much physical strength. Then again, she was a quiet girl, and liked to keep to herself. She wasn't particularly close to anyone (except that Ino girl) so she might have more talent than I originally thought. Haruno Sakura, hmm, you never cease to surprise me.

-three hours later-

Sakura's POV

Where in the world is our sensei? I sighed. Oh well, at least I was able to make up with Ino before coming here.

_-flashback-_

_There she is!_

_"Ino-chan, please wait!"_

_She turned around to see who it was, but frowned when she saw me. She stood next to her new teammates: Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji._

_"What do you want now?"_

_"Can we talk privately, please?"_

_I gave her the best puppy eyes I had ever used. Her stern look softened when she looked into them._

_"Fine, you've got five minutes."_

_"Arigato."_

_I pulled her away from her teammates until we were out of hearing range._

_"I know, you're mad, but come on Ino-chan, think, do you honestly think that it's my fault? I told you, I have no feelings what so ever for Uchiha Sasuke. In fact, I don't even want him on my team."_

_"Nani, you can't be serious."_

_"I am, he's arrogant, a jerk, and he never gives anything more than one word answers."_

_"….."_

_"You've got to believe. I mean seriously, in all these years, you've been my best friend. Have you honestly ever seen me even look at a boy before?"_

_"…-sigh- You're right, oh I'm so sorry, Kura-chan. I was just so angry that you got put onto the same team as my dream boyfriend while I'm here stuck with 'Lazy bum' and 'Food boy.' I guess I got jealous. Forgive me?"_

_"Don't worry about it, Ino, you have absolutely nothing to apologies for. And don't worry about your teammates. Don't you remember when Iruka-sensei first told us about being put into squads? He said that not only the teams had to be balanced, but they had to have a good chance of being able to work together as well. Don't you see, you three wouldn't have been placed on the same team if they weren't pretty sure that you'd be able to work together."_

_"…I guess I see your logic, but I can hardly picture Naruto and Sasuke-kun working together to accomplish the same goal."_

_"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get them to work together.'_

_"Well, good luck."_

_"You too, Ja ne."_

_"Ja ne."_

_-end of flashback-_

I tried to act calm, although my acting skills were almost to their limit. Oh well, no use in moping over something I can't control. I continued to meditate, which I've been doing for the past hour or so. I've been doing a lot of meditating these days because it calms me down when I'm tense.

I snuck a peek at my new teammates. Sasuke, well, was being Sasuke, but I could tell by his expression that he was starting to get impatient as well. Also, once or twice, I caught him staring at me for no reason. I mean what's with this guy? It's not like I did anything to him, well, except that glare I gave him this morining.

Naruto was another story. He's been complaining about our sensei's tardiness like there was no tomorrow. I mean, seriously, doesn't this guy ever take a break?

"Why is our sensei the latest? I mean all of the other teams left already. Even Iruka-sensei already left.

"-sigh- Naruto, be patient, I'm sure he'll be here eventually."

"Hn."

"But Sakura-chan, I'm bored!"

God, will he ever shut up?! My patience Is getting thinner my the minute. Then, Naruto had an evil grin on his face. He took a chalkboard eraser and placed on top of the door. Oh great, he better not be thinking what I think he is.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna give our sensei a taste of his own medicine! This is what he gets for being so late!"

"Hn, our sensei is a jounin, an elite ninja. There's no way he'll fall for such a childish prank."

And as soon as he finished that sentence, the door opened. The easer dropped, and landed on the head of a mid aged man who I assumed was our sensei.

It was absolutely silent for a couple of seconds. Then, Naruto burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I can't believe that you actually fell for that. hahaha!!

Great, Naruto just ruined our first impression, and as some people like to say: the first impression is the only impression. I quickly stood up and bowed my head.

"Gomenasai, sensei, I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"…….my first impression of you guys is…you're all a bunch of idiots."

"……"

"……"

"……"

"…-sigh- well, come on, follow me."

"We silently obeyed his command and were led to the top of the roof. The three of us sat on the steps while our sensei, faced us in front."

"Well, now that we're on a team, why don't you introduce yourselves."

Introduction? That sounds simple enough. But, apparently, not simple enough for Naruto because he started asking dumb questions.

"What are we suppose to say?"

"…Your name, your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies, dreams for the future…you know, stuff like that."

"Why don't you go first, you know, show us how it's done."

"Me? Okay, my name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes….I really don't feel like telling you that. My for the dreams for the future…hm, I've never really thought about it. My hobbies…have lots of hobbies. Your turn."

"…huh??"

"Hn."

"He didn't tell us anything except his name."

"Well, you get the idea. You, to the on the left, you go first."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant ramen in a cup, but I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei bought me at a restaurant. (AN: Can someone please tell me the name of the ramen place?) I hate the three minutes you have to wait for the ramen to cook. My hobby is trying new kinds of ramen. And my future dream is…to become the greatest Hokage, so that everyone will look up to me!"

"…Interesting…next, you on the right."

"Hn, my name is Uchiha Sasuke. There a many things that I dislike, and I don't particularly like anything. And my dream for the future is not a dream, for I will make it a reality. I'm going to kill a certain man and revive my clan."

"…..Finally, you in the middle."

"…My name is Haruno Sakura. I like to spend time with my best friend, Ino-chan. I dislike many things as well, for example, fan girls, especially Uchiha's…"

I paused a moment to send him another glare.

"…My hobbies are…training, I guess. And what's interesting is…my future dream is very similar to Uchiha's. I'm going to become strong, and kill a certain man as well, though I doubt it's the same one.

We were quiet again. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me, while Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were staring at me like I was a crazy person. Finally, the idiot broke the silence.

"Why does everybody want to kill somebody except for me? You guys are scaring me. Well, teme, not so much, but Sakura-chan? I never thought that _you_ would want to kill someone as well."

"….."

"Hn."

"…Well, this certainly is an interesting group, but at least you guys are 'bonding."

Yeah right.

"Okay, I'm going to explain to you tomorrow's mission."

That was enough to get Naruto pumped.

"A mission! Really? What's it about?! Tell me, tell me!"

"It's a special kind of mission.

"A special kind?! What kind is it?!"

"It's a survival exercise."

"…..huh??"

"Hn."

"…Why's our first mission a survival exercise, Kakashi-sensei."

This guy's got something up his sleeve, and I don't like it.

"I'd tell you, but you'd be scared."

Naruto, of course, would never admit that he was scared.

"Scared?! No way! Now tell us about the mission already!"

"Fine, but just remember, you asked for it. You see, out of all 27 seven graduates, only nine make it to the genin level. This means that you have a 66 chance of failure.

"……"

"……"

"……"

"See, I told you you'd be scared."

I could tell that Naruto was angry by the news.

"Wait, but what about the graduation exam?"

"Oh that? That was just to see who would qualify as a genin. The real test starts now. Meet me at the training grounds ant dawn. Bring all your weapons, including shiriken. Oh and one last thing, don't eat breakfast."

I tried to imagine Naruto without food. I couldn't.

"What! Why?!"

"Beacause, if you eat, you'll puke."

And with that, he left in a puff of smoke. Seriously, I've got to learn how to do that.

Without another word, Sasuke left. Seriously, I wonder what goes on in that guy's mind. Sometimes, it feels like he doesn't have any emotion at all. Weird.

Naruto, of course, _had_ to take advantage of the two of us being alone.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, you wanna go on a date, just the two of us?"

"I'm not interested in a relationship, nor do I have time for silly things such as dates."

I left quickly, not wanting to see Naruto's reaction. Sheesh, will he ever give it a rest? I mean when I say no, I mean no.

I inwardly sighed. This has turned out not to be my best day.

AN: What'd you think? I know it was kinda akward putting two flashbacks in one chapter, but just to assue you, I'm not a flashback maniac. Also, if you guys like this story, please check my previous one called Different. **PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	4. Chapter 4

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Hi everyone, I know that this story is starting to sound a lot like the anime and I'm sorry if you don't like it. It's just that since I'm only changing the fact that Sakura is stronger in the beginning, many of the scenes will be very similar to the anime. Please don't give up on it! I promise that there will be scenes that are very different than the anime. This will also probably be a very long Fan fiction.

Sorry for the hold up, but this chapter took me a long time to type.

Sharon: Thanks for all of the reviews!

Sakura: She really appreciated them.

Sharon: Yes I did, now say the disclaimer.

Sakura: Hai, Sharon does not own Naruto.

Sharon: No I don't.

_Recap: I inwardly sighed. This has turned out not to be my best day._

Chapter 4: Bell Test

Sakura's POV

-Beep…beep…beep…beep…be-

I pushed the snooze button and opened my tired eyes. Damn Kakashi-sensei for making me get up so early! I rubbed my eyes and stretched my sore muscles. Then I walked over to my closet.

Instead of wearing my usual training outfit, I chose a different look. It was a training outfit specially designed for intense battles. It consisted of a dark blue skin-tigh long-sleeved top that around my middle fingers, a loose black V-neck long-sleeved top over it, a dark navy mid-thigh skirt, black leggings, and black knee-length open-toed combat boots. It was very comfortable and allowed total flexibility. Also, it was designed to fight with hidden weapons as well. The sleeves of the black top allowed me to hide a senbone shooter, which are filled with poison. (AN: I don't know what it's called. It's kinda like the one Shizune had when she fought Kabuto when in the anime. You know, the scene where Orochimaru was trying to get Tsunade to heal his arms.) There were also buckles on my boots, which I could store some small essentials such as small smoke bombs, tubes of poison, and a small knife I used for either hitting pressure points or medical emergencies. I tied a belt around my waist that held some of my weapon pouches. Others, I attached to my arms and legs. Finally, I took a small container of ointment attached to a black chord and wore it ass a choker. I combed my hair, tied on my headband, and I was ready.

_Oh and one last thing, don't eat breakfast._ No matter many times I thought it over, it just didn't make any sense. His excuse was, _because, if you eat, you'll puke_, which doesn't make sense either. We need food in order to have enough strength for training. There must be some kind of trick, or a loophole we had to figure out. Did he mean that we couldn't eat breakfast at home, but we should bring something to eat during the training? Well, that's the best thing I can think of at this point, so that's what I'm gonna do. It won't be considered breakfast, and I'll get the energy I needed. I made myself a couple rice balls, which I placed in the small, black backpack I planned on bringing. It consisted of extra weapons, bandages, a book, my watch, a water bottle, and the rice balls. Then, I headed out.

It was ironic how all three of us arrived at the same time. Naruto, looked half asleep, while Sasuke…was Sasuke: Cold and emotionless as usual. We waited in silence. After a while, both Naruto and I sat down. He started complaining as usual, while I silently read my book. I should've known this was a habit of Kakashi-sensei's.

After three long hours of waiting, Kakashi-sensei finally showed up.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late, a black cat crossed my way and I had to take the longer route."

"Liar!"

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi-sensei. I got up and put my book away. I put on a neutral face and waited for the instructions to the survival exercise.

A timer was placed on one of the three logs that stood upright in the middle of the training field. He faced us and pulled out two, small bells.

"The timer is set for noon. The task is simple. All you have to do is get these two bells from me before it goes off. But I'm warning you, if you want to get a bell, you'll have to attack me as if you were trying to kill me. Understood?"

"Hn."

"Hai, demo, Kakashi-sensei, there's only two bells."

"Correct, that's because only two of you three will pass. At least one of you will be sent back to the academy. Also, those who fail will be tied to those posts and go without lunch."

So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast. It'll just make it harder on us. "Dattebayo! This'll be easy since you couldn't even dodge that chalkboard eraser!"

"…In the real world, try to ignore the class clown. They are usually the ones with no talent, ones that are always dead last, losers.

"No talent…dead last…LOSER!!"

Without thinking, Naruto took a kuni and charged at Kakashi-sensei. However, in a blink of an eye, Kakashi-sensei appeared behind him, twisting Naruto's hand around so that Naruto's own kuni was pointing at himself.

"Slow down…I haven't said start yet…"

It was amazing, since I barely saw him move. I finally understood the big gap of power that stood between a genin and a jounin.

"…But it seem like you attacked me with the full intent of killing me…so, how do I say this…I guess I'm actually starting to like you guys."

What was that suppose to mean? That he admired our courage. In my opinion, Naruto's actions were no doubt very stupid.

"Okay, lets get ready…ready…set…Begin!"

We immediately disappeared to hide. I crouched behind a bush, analyzing my Lalashi-sensei's every move. I would need as much help I could get in order to have the slightest chance of beating this guy. I planned on allowing Naruto and Sasuke to fight him first and analyze his fighting patterns. Then, I'll attack him when I find an opening.

Any shinobi with half of a brain would see that he or she should hide and try to ambush an opponent that is stronger than you. However, apparently, this logic did not go through Naruto's head.

"Let's have a fair fight, just you and me!"

"Aren't you a bit weird compared to the other two?"

"What's weird is your hairstyle!"

Baka. Not only did he loose the element of surprise, but he's left himself wide open for attacks. I watched as Kakashi-sensei slowly reached into his weapon pouch.

"Shinobi tactic number one: Taijutsu."

Wait a minute? Taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat, so why is he reaching for a weapon?

I watched with anticipation to see what he would pull out. It was…a book? And not just any normal book, The title was Come Come Paradise. Porn?! Our sensei's a pervert? Great.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say you were going to fight me? Well, come on, hurry up and attack me."

"…Why are you reading a book."

"To find out what happens next, of course."

"But, you're in the middle of a battle."

"Oh, don't worry, it won't make a difference whether or not I'm reading against someone like you."

"…I'M GONNA BEAT YOU TO A PULP!"

Naruto began throwing multiple punches and kicks against Kakashi-sensei, which were all caught with ease. However, Naruto continued attacking like there was no tomorrow. Finally, Kakashi-sensei managed to get behind Naruto.

"Never let your enemy get behind you."

He wasn't reading his book anymore. In fact, the book was closed and his hands formed a tiger seal. He was planning to use fire ninjutsu! This is bad, it looks, like he isn't playing around.

I was just about to shout 'Watch Out' when I thought over the situation thoroughly. There was no way that Kakashi-sensei would kill Naruto. Not only would he get arrested, but Naruto is merely a dumb genin. Why would he be worth killing? This has got to be a trick.

"Leaf village secret finger jutsu…"

I thought so.

"Huh?"

"..a thousand years of death!"

"AAAHHHHHH!"

I watched as Kakshi-sensei poked Naruto in the butt. So it a hand sign at all. He just poked him.

To my right, I heard someone mumble 'idiot.' I guess Sasuke was closer than I thought. Kakashi-sensei went back to his porn.

"..Hmm, now, where was I?"

Now that I think about it, this survival exercise is impossible to complete. He's a jounin, we can't possibly match his strength. So why is he making us do this? What's the purpose? What's the catch? Come on Sakura, think, you're the smartest graduate in the class, so you should be able to figure this out. Is he looking for courage, for us to attack against all odds? Or is he merely testing our strength? Either way, I have to fight him and attempt to get the bells.

Naruto ended up in the lake next to the training field. After a while, two shurikens flew out from the water, aimed at Kakashi-sensei. I held my breath for a second, only to let it go since Kakashi-sensei effortlessly caught them between his middle and index fingers.

After Naruto immerged from the water, he and Kakashi-sensei began to talk. It seems as if he's left his guard down. Should I attack or should I wait for Sasuke to make his move first? This might be the only time he'll ever let his guard down.

No, I should wait. Naruto's attack from the water was pretty smart, (surprisingly) but it didn't have a single effect on him. I'll need Sasuke to battle Kakashi-sensei and analyze him further, maybe even tire him out a bit. Besides, my stomach was starting to rumble, so it was time to eat the rice balls I packed.

"…I'm so hungry, I barely have any strength left. But I'll find strength some how and get a bell. Dattebayo! There's no way I'm going back to the academy. I will become a ninja."

I kinda feel bad for the others. They probably skipped breakfast as well. I made myself a mental note to save each of them a rice ball. It can't hurt, right?

Then, something came across my mind. I had absolutely no idea about the structure of this particular training area. As quietly as possible, I left my hiding place and explored the area jumping from tree to tree. Good thing Naruto distracted Kakashi-sensei by battleing him with shadow clones (I'm surprised he know such a complex technique) so there was a slim chance that he would notice my action. I can even set a couple traps here and there.

The area was pretty simple. I succeeded in setting up a couple traps as well. I returned to my hiding place just in time to see Naruto dangling from a rope and Kakashi-sensei explaining to him about the concept of traps. Suddenly, shuriken were launched from Sasuke's position. So he's finally made his move.

They hit, or at least it looked like they did.

"What! Sensei just got blasted by shuriken! Are you out of your mind, Sasuke-teme?! You've gone too far."

I gasped. No, I'm not ready to face another death! I watched in horror as Kakashi-sensei started to fall…

He turned into a log. It was a replacement! I heard Sasuke take off to my right. I had no choice but to follow. We were only a few yards away from each other, so not only did he give away his position, but mine as well. Dammit! This isn't going the way I planned.

Shit, I gotta move fast. I had no idea where Kakashi-sensei is. Then, I spotted him on the other side of the bushes, reading his book. Phew, it doesn't seem like he noticed me. Then, I felt a presence behind me.

"Sakura, behind you."

"Huh?"

I widened my eyes. Kakashi-sensei! He was right behind me this whole time! Before I knew it, I was surrounded by millions of leaves.

When I finally fell out of my daze, I found myself in an open area. When did I get here? And why is the sky so dark? I looked down at my watch to see that it was only about 10:30 A.M.

"Sa-akura."

"Huh, Sasuke?"

I turned around, and there he was, covered in kunai and shuriken!

"S-Sakura…help me…please help me!"

I froze. No, this can't be. Why, why-

Wait a minute, there's no way in a million years that Uchiha Sasuke would ask for my help. He has way too much pride and ego. So why am I seeing these things?

Genjutsu! Of course! I calmed down with a couple deep breaths and concentrated on my chakra. Okay, all I have to do is stop the flow of chakra.

"Kai!"

Sasuke disappeared. What a cheap trick! How dare he think that I would get caught in something like that? I spotted him up ahead and ran towards him at top speed. I stopped on a tree branch when I spotted Sasuke with him as well. Great, it looks like I'll have to wait my turn.

Sasuke's POV

What happened? I thought Sakura was following me, so why did she stop?

Wait, could it mean that, Kakashi-already got to her?I went back, this was the perfect chance to have a one-on-one fight with him.

When I got there, Kakashi was calmly reading his book. In the distance, I saw Sakura, looking dazed. What's her problem, why's she just standing ther?

"Shinobi tactic number two: Genjutsu. Sakura studied it in class, but it looks like she still-"

"Kai!"

Both of us looked towards her direction. Her hands formed a hand sign. She was looking around at her surroundings. When she spotted Kakashi-she ran towards us at top speed. However, she stopped on a tree branch when she saw me.

"-Glare- How dare you use such a cheap trick on me! It was so obvious."

"Really? I thought I did a pretty job."

"Yeah right, there's no way in a million years that Uchiha Sasuke would ask me for help. It was obviously an illusion."

Now, I was confused. What in the world is she talking about. No matter, I don't have time to pay attention to her.

"Well, I apologize. It seems that I underestimated you. I guess the rumors were true. Haruno Sakura: heir to the mighty Haruno Clan, smartest graduate in her class, and your final examination scores were only a few points behind Sasuke as well. It's rare that a rookie ninja is able to see through a genjutsu, much less release one. I'll keep that in mind when I fight you later, but right now, I have business with Sasuke."

She glared at both of us, but realized that objecting would be useless. Therefore, she sat on down on the branch she was on, waiting for our battle to begin.

"I'm different from the others. There's no way that I'm going to fail.

"Try saying that _after _you get a bell."

I faced Kakashi, who was still reading his book. We stood in silence for a while.

I started the battle by using a frontal attack with shuriken and kunai.

"There's no point in using normal attacks."

I smirked. I threw a kunai to set off my trap. He dodged it. Quickly, I got behind him and threw a series of punches and kicks, which he all managed to block.

I ended up upside-down, with a perfect view of the bells. I reached for them and touched one, but Kakashi pulled away at the last second. I panted and glared at him. So close!

"Well,you sare different, I'll give you that, but different won't be enough to get a bell."

I guess I'll have to just _that_. I made a series of hand signs. Horse, Tiger, Fire style, fire ball jutsu!

As soon as I made those hand signs, I knew that Kakashi was surprised. I aimed a large ball of fire at Kakashi.

After the fire disappeared, so did Kakashi. What?! Where did he go? Behind me? Above? Then, I felt someone grab my ankle. I looked down to see a hand emerging from under the ground.

"Where…"

"Huh?"

"…I'm where you least expect me…"

"Uhhh, uhhhaaahhh!"

"…right under your feet."

My whole body was under ground except for my head. Kakashi was right in front of me, bending down.

"Earth style: Head hunter jutsu."

-glare-

I can't move.

"Can't move, huh, that was ninjutsu, the third shinobi tactic. You've got talent, and you were right, you are different from the others. But different isn't always better. They say that the nail that's standing up is the one that gets hammered down."

He stood up and started to walk away.

"Come on Sakura, I'll give you the battle you were looking for."

She jumped down from the branch where she was sitting. I looked at me. She seemed a little hesitant, as if she were pondering whether or not to help me out. Kakashi stopped.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You're not thinking about helping him out are you? If you do, he'll just attack me again. Not only will it lessen the chances of you getting a bell, but he'll attack me immediately, thus delaying our battle. We have less than an hour until the deadline at noon."

"……"

"Are you willing to risk that against the person you're competing against? It'll _almost_ be as if you were helping the enemy on a mission. Hurry up and make your decision, or I'm leaving you behind."

"…I-"

"Go away, I don't need the help from the likes of you."

For a second, I thought I saw hurt in her expression. But it immediately changed into anger. This time she did not hesitate to follow Kakashi, nor did she look back.

Sakura's POV

Stupid arrogant jerk! He's the one that wasn't even able to move. I don't get why Ino would like someone like him. So what if he's a prodigy, I am too, and you don't see me acting as if my ego was as big as the sun!

By the time Kakashi-sensei and I arrived at out destination, there was only thirty minutes left until noon. I had to hurry up if I was to get a bell.

When I analyzed him, I couldn't really find any weaknesses or fighting patterns. The only thing I found out was that He liked to read porn. Since I am a fellow reader myself, I know what readers hate the most: spoilers. I could try to get that book away from him, but it was already put away during his fight with Sasuke. I guess I'll just have to do the best I can.

I ran towards him, as if I were making a direct attack. Then, at the last second, I disappeared and reappeared behind him with a kunai. I threw it, only to have him catch it, then throw it back at me. I reflected it with a shuriken. By no, we were at the perfect distance for hand-to-hand combat. I gathered as much chakra as I can to my fist and tried to punch him. He blocked it, but was still got pushed back by my chakra.

"You're pretty good with chakra control, but that's not enough.

I began to circle him and I launched senbone from the weapon on my left arm.

"A hidden weapon…impressive, but you'll still need to do better than that."

He was finally in the position where one of my traps was targeting. I pulled back, reached down to one of the buckles on my boots and pulled out a couple smoke bombs. I threw them at Kakashi-sensei, hitting the ground. The area around him was immediately covered in smoke. He's probably too busy looking for me and coughing to see my next move. I threw shuriken at a couple traps to set tem off. The traps activated and millions of senbone were launched.

He dodged them, which caught me off guard since there was a small chance that he was able to see tham. Then, he appeared behind me. It looks like I'll have to use my most powerful jutsu against this guy. It wasn't 100 complete yet, but it's worth a try. So, before he could do anything, I began to make hand signs.

"Haruno Secret Jutsu no.35 One Million Ice Petals Blizzard!" (AN: I know it sounds cheesy, but making up jutsu is hard, so bare with me.)

"Nani! Impossible, that a jutsu that is marked number 35 is too difficult for a genin. Sakura, stop, you'll hurt yourself!"

I'm gonna prove him wrong. I used the water in the atmosphere, this morning's dew, and wherever else I could find some. I froze the small droplets and molded them into thin petals. There weren't exactly a million of them, more like a thousand at the most because I didn't learn to use it at full power yet. The petals began to swirl around Kakashi-sensei faster and faster. I was planning to use it as a diversion and give him a couple cuts (I wasn't planning on killing him.) Then, when the jutsu started to calm down, and would sprint as fast as possible towards him, and grab the bells as I pass him. However, I felt my chakra leaving me at a rapid pace. Kusco, I don't have enough chakra for the jutsu. I spent too much energy with taijutsu and running around setting up traps. I fell to my knees and deactivated the jutsu. Kakashi-sensei, of course, already escaped the blizzard a while ago (probably when I felt my chakra leaving me, since that would've slowed it down). He was beside me before I knew it.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

"……"

"You should've known better than to do that. It's important to-"

-Bbbbbrrrriiiiiinnnnnggggggg-

The timer went off. I failed.

"-Sigh- Well, I guess there's no use in lecturing you now. Come on, let's get back to the others. Can you walk?"

"…Yeah, I think so."

We walked back together. I was a little slower because I over used my chakra. When we got there, the other two were already sitting against the stumps. Well, Sasuke was sitting while Naruto was tied to one of the logs.

-growl-

-gggrrrooowwwlll-

-growl-

"Uh oh, stomachs growling, well that's too bad. Oh, and by the way, about this exercise, I've decided, I won't send any of you back to the academy."

"Really? You're the best sensei, dattebayo!"

"What? But I didn't get a bell."

"Don't ask questions, Sakura-chan, just go with the flow.

"Hn."

Naruto started cheering. Neither Sasuke nor I joined in. We were bother thinking the same thing: There's a catch.

"That means all three of us…all three of us-"

Kakashi-sensei smiled. Not good.

"Yes, all three of you…are being dropped from the program, permanently."

"Huh?"

"Ahh…"

"……"

"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninja! You said that if we didn't get a bell, then we would be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out why would you do that?!"

"Because you don't think like ninja you think like little kids, like brats."

Sasuke couldn't take being called a brat, and attacked Kakashi-sensei. However, Kakashi-sensei had him pinned down in a second.

"You think it's all about you."

"Uhhh…"

Then, he looked us straight in the eye.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja, you think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put you on squads did you think about that question for a moment?"

Squads? Now I was confused.

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean you never realized what this exercise was all about. Not even close.'

"What it's about?"

"Yes, that's what determines whether you pass or fail…Come on, use your head, Three people on a squad, why do you think we would do that?"

"…Ahh, how should we know? We don't make the rules!"

"It's so basic, teamwork!"

"You mean like working together."

"That's what I mean. If you would've come at me all at once, you would've been able to take them. But it's too late now, It's over."

Wait a minute.

"But you set it up with two bells, so if we all attacked together and got them, only two of us could keep them. That would lead to group conflict and the whole squad would break up."

"Exactly, I purposely pitted you against each other to see if you could overcome that. A genin should have a natural feel for teamwork, but it never even crossed your mind."

He's right. After all that thinking about what the catch to the mission was, I never once thought about teamwork. I only thought about myself.

"Naruto! You do everything by yourself. Everything!"

"……"

"…Sakura, you didn't lift a single finger when your teammates were in trouble, well you almost did with Sasuke, but you turned your back on him as soon as he insulted you…"

"……"

"…And you, Sasuke, thought that the others were so far beneath you they were worthless. You even insulted your own teammate when she was trying to help you. Arrogance. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi knows that. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure, and even death. For example…"

Kakashi-sensei aimed a kunai at Sasuke.

"…Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies."

"…N-nani?"

"Ahhhh!"

"…That's what happens on a mission…"

He let Sasuke go.

"…The enemy takes a hostage and you are forced to make an impossible decision. Someone ends up dead."

He turned around and walked towards a large stone in front of us.

"Did you look at this stone, the names engraved on it? They are all ninjas who are honored as heroes in our village."

"That's it that's it! Now I know1 I've decided I'm gonna get my name engraved on that stone. I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog. I'm gonna be a hero. Datte-"

"Naruto, please don't say that."

My voice was barely above a whisper, but I was sure he heard me. He had no idea what he was saying, but unlike him, I knew the whole story behind the stone.

"They are…a special kind of hero."

"Really?! Cool, what kind are they?"

"They are all…KIA."

"Huh? KIA, what's that?"

"It means killed in action, Naruto, they all died."

I watched as realization slowly reached Naruto. He's face saddened and he looked down at the ground.

"…This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here."

How sad. I couldn't possibly imagine seeing someone as close to me as Ino die. Then again, Tou-san _did _die right in front of me. Thinking about Tou-san only made me sadder.

"Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance, but I'm going to be much harder on you. You'll only have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength…However, Naruto doesn't get any."

"Nani?!"

"It's punishment for breaking the rules. And if any of you try to feed him, you'll automatically fail."

"Awww, no fair."

"Hn."

"……"

"I make the rules, you follow them, got it?"

With that, he left us alone and disappeared into the trees.

The two of us ate quietly, slowly enjoying our meal, until Naruto's stomach started to growl like crazy.

"…This is no big deal, I could go days without eating, weeks. Dattebayo! This is no big deal!"

-ggggrrrroooowwwlllll-

"Uhhhh…no problem."

I looked up at him. There was no way that he could go on without food. I mean this was Naruto we were talking about. I've seen him stuff down ramen quicker than you could say 'Itakikumatsu. (AN: I know I spelled that wrong) I handed him my lunch.

"Here."

"Huh, but Sakura-chan, that's your lunch."

"Don't worry about it, I don't eat as much food as you do Besides, I already had a couple rice balls."

"What, but sensei told us not to eat breakfast."

"Well, it wasn't exactly breakfast since I didn't eat it at home. I brought them along with me. Kakashi-sensei never said that we weren't allowed to _bring_ a snack with us."

"Hn, you cheated."

"-Glare- I didn't cheat, _Uchiha,_ I simply found a loop-hole."

"Hn, sounds more like cheating to me, _Haruno_."

"You arrogant bastard-…Tch, I don't have time to deal with you now."

I ignored the glare I received from Sasuke and focused my attention back on Naruto.

"Go ahead Naruto."

"…Hurry up and eat, dobe, before Kakashi comes back."

"…I-I can't do it.'

"Are gonna make me force it down your throat?"

"Come on, Naruto, I insist-"

"-No, I mean I really _can't_ do eat. My hands are tied up…so…

"……"

"…you'll…kinda have to …feed me.

"……"

Sometimes, I don't think that becoming a kunoichi is worth dealing with my two teammates. I sighed and stood up in front of Naruto. I used my chopsticks and picked up a ball of rice. Naruto opened his mouth and I dropped the food inside. But Kakashi-sensei, of course, saw this and was immediately in front of us.

"You broke the rules! I hope you're ready for the consequences"

Dark clouds began to cover the sky. Lightning flashed. Naruno was trembling so hard that I thought that the log he was tied to would tip over. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and got ready to attack. I was too shocked to do anything and stared at him, trying to mask my fear (and only succeeding halfway.

"Any last words?"

"…Y-you s-sa-aid…"

"…Yes?"

"…You said that there were three of us, and that's why Sakura-chan, and Sasuke-teme offered me their lunch…"

"…Hn, we're all on this squad and we're in it together."

"…Yeah, the three of us are one!"

"Uh…yeah yeah yeah right, what they said."

"The three of you are one, that's your excuse?"

I prepared myself for the worst, when out of the blue, Kakashi-sensei…smiled.

"Hm, you pass."

"Huh?"

"……"

"…what do you mean we pass? We broke the rules."

"You pass…you're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, yes. But those who betray their friends are worst than scum. You've just proven yourselves worthy of the title ninja."

"Ohhhh."

"Hn."

"You know, he's kinda cool."

"The exercise is over. Everone passes. Squad seven starts its first mission tomorrow."

"Yea! I did it I did it! Dattedayo! I'm a ninja ninja ninja!"

Sasuke and I both stood up. I was happy. To me, strength meant everything, and with new missions and training sessions almost everyday, I'll finally be strong, just like Tou-san told me to be.

"Shouldn't we untie him?"

"Nah, he'll handle himself."

"Hn."

"Do you ever say anything than 'hn?"

"Hn."

"Answer me you jerk! I mean is 'hn even a word, it's more like a grunt."

"Hn."

"Get a larger vocabulary _Uchiha_!"

"Hn."

"I swear you are dancing on my last nerve-"

"Sakura…"

"…huh?'

"You're annoying."

"……"

I smiled, which seemed to catch him off guard.

"What, what are you smiling at?"

"…That was the first time you ever called me by my first name."

"So, what's your point?"

"…nothing, I guess…"

Why did I say that? He just called me by my name, nothing special. God, I can't believe I acted like an idiot.

Kakashi-sensei looked at the both of us and smiled under his mask. He put one hand on my shoulder and the other on Sasuke's head and messed up his hair.

"You know what I think…"

"……"

"……"

"I think our little Sasuke is developing a crush on Sakura-chan."

We both looked at him wide eyed. He smirked.

"Young love, it's so interesting. Good thing I two lovers on my squad, huh, lucky lucky me!"

"Sh-shut up Kakashi-sensei…you read too much porn!?"

"Hn, shut up."

AN: That was really long, and took me a long time to type, So appreciate my efforts and **REVIEW!!**

Also, I've been thinking about posting a new story, but I already have two that are unfinished. Should I post my new idea now, or wait until one of my stories is finished? Please give me advice.


	5. Chapter 5

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Thank you for all of the reviews! Enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap: "Sh-shut up Kakashi-sensei…you read too much porn!?"_

"_Hn, shut up."_

Chapter 5: Tazuna, the Master Bridge Builder

Sasuke's POV

Another D-ranked mission. Our task was simple, find the missing cat, Tora that belongs to the feudal lord's wife. We watched in both horror and amusement as the poor cat was being squashed by its owner.

"Oh, my cute little Tora-chan, I was so worried."

I looked away. These missions were a waste of time. We should be training. I needed to get stronger to beat, _him_. I involuntarily clenched my fists at the thought of _that man_. However, it looks like Sakura noticed.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?"

I looked away. There was no way I was going to tell her about my personal feelings.

"Hn, mind your own business."

She was able to mask her emotions very well, but I could read her eyes like a book. She was hurt.

"Gomenasai, I was only trying to help."

She turned away. It reminded me of the incident about a week ago when we were taking the bell test. She turned her back to me without hesitation when I insulted her. To tell the truth, no girl has ever turned her back to me before. I couldn't understand this girl. She wasn't like the other girls in the academy. She was…_unique_. She didn't add the honorific to my name, nor did she show any signs of attractiveness to me. And to top it off, she was smart, and an _okay_ fighter from what I can tell. When she talked to me, it felt as if she really did want to help me. And after I insult her, the look in her eyes _almost_ make me wish that I could take the harsh words back.

Wait, a minute, what the hell am I thinking?! She's just some girl I hardly know. Maybe this is all an act. Yeah that's it, an act. She's just like all the others, nothing special. I decided to believe that and shoved the topic aide, even though my gut was telling me otherwise.

"Okay, squad seven, your next mission will be…lets see…babysitting an elder's grandson, helping a lady with her shopping, or digging up some potatoes."

Great, another useless task. Then, Naruto spoke up.

"That's it, I'm tired of these lame missions. I want something challenging and exciting, not this little kid stuff. Come on old man!"

He's got a point, but did he have to yell? I can't belive this idiot is on the same squad as me. Also, his little speech angered Iruka, who stood up and slammed his fists on the table.

"How dare you?! You're just a genin fresh out of the academy with no experience. Like everyone else, you start with simple missions to develop and prove yourself!"

"Are you serious? You call these missions? Babysitting isn't a mission, it's just a- Ahhhh!"

Kakashi had thumped Naruto on the head making his fall over like an idiot.

"Will you put a lid on it?"

Then, the third looked at him sternly.

"Naruto, it seems that you do not understand the idea of mission. Everyday, the village gets tasks from baby-sitting to assassinations. These tasks are carefully analyzed, then ranked according to their level of difficulty: A, B, C, or D. Ninjas are ranked by abilities: The hokage at the top, then jounin, chunin, and finally genin at the bottom. Then, we assign the missions to the ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience. And if the mission is successful, we receive a fee that supports the village. Since you are untried genin just starting the shinobi path, you are given D-ranked missions…hmmm?"

"…so I had pork ramen yesterday and I was thinking about miso ramen today-"

"Silence!"

I don't know which was more boring: The hokage's speech, or Naruto rambling about ramen. Kakashi sheepishly rubbed his head.

"Oh, sorry."

"What's the big deal, old man? You're always lecturing me like you were my grandfather or something. Put I'm not the same little kid that use to pull pranks all the time. I'm a ninja and I want a real ninja mission."

Then, Naruto stubbornly crossed his hands and faced the other side of the room. God, I swear he could be such a child sometimes. Sakura attempted to calm him down.

"Naruto, don't be so rude. He is the hokage after all. I think you should apoligize."

"Hmph, I don't have anything to apologize for, Sakura-chan."

"-sigh-"

The hokage chuckled.

"Naruto wants us to know that he's not a brat, he's a former brat, and wants a real mission. So be it."

"Huh?"

Is he serious? I looked up in surprise.

"Since you are so determined, I am going to give you a C-ranked mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey?"

This got Naruto pumped with excitement.

"Really?! Who, who? Are we guarding a princess, a feudal lord?"

"Don't be so impatient. I will bring him in now…Send in our visitor. We all turned around to see who it was. Even I was a little curious myself. Was it someone of high authority, and why did he want bodyguards? The door in the back opened, revealing…an old man drinking beer.

Sakura's POV

"What the, a bunch of little snot nosed kids?"

He took one big gulp from the beer bottle in his hand. I couldn't believe that _this_ was our client.

"And you, the little one, with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja."

Naruto, of course, being the slow one, laughed out loud.

"Hahaha, who's the little one with the idiotic look on his face."

Then, his expression slowly changed once he realized that both Sasuke and I were taller than him. Luckily, Kakashi-sensei held him back before he could do anything stupid.

"Ahh, let me go! I'm gonna demolish him."

"You can't demolish the client, Naruto, it doesn't work that way."

After a while, the man looked us straight in the eye.

"…I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder. I need to get back to my country where I'm building a very important bridge that will change our world, and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

When I got home, I grabbed my backpack, and left a note on my desk, explaining the mission to Kaa-san for when she gets home. I also stopped by the Yamanaka Flower Shop to tell Ino about the news. However, she wasn't there, so I left a message to her with her mother.

When we all arrived at the gates, we set out immediately. Once we were a couple steps outside, Naruto started acting childish again. He went on about how it was his first time out of the village and how he was a traveler. I barely paid attention to any of this. It was my first time out of the village as well, so I took a moment to observe our surroundings. It was nothing major: Just a dirt road that led on for many miles and many trees surrounding it.

I hoped that the mission went smoothly. It was only C-ranked, so there shouldn't be any enemy ninja after us. However, we could always run into ninja from an enemy village accidentally. I don't think that the Land of Waves is in Fire Country territory.

"…Ahh, shut up, I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage…"

Oh boy, there he goes with the whole hokage thing again. God, I know he's passionate and everything, but can't he just give it a rest for a while. And this Tazuna guy, I can't believe he's so rude. I mean he's the one that's asking for our help, so can't he treat us with a little more respect? Then again…to him, we're probably just a joke. I inwardly sighed. I was happy that the hokage was generous enough to give us a mission that's a little more challenging, but did he have to stick us with such a rude client? Finally, we headed out, but I couldn't help feeling that we were being watched.

We walked for a long time following the trail. On the way here, Kakashi-sensei explained to us the concept of hidden villages on the Kages. I tuned out from it because I already knew the information. Suddenly, I spotted something. I puddle of water? I looked up at the sky. Impossible, it hasn't rained for days. No, it couldn't be! I walked up to Kakashi-sensei and spoke in a low voice so no one else can hear us.

"It hasn't rained for days."

"…So you noticed it too."

Then, two ninjas sprang up from the puddle and attacked Kakashi-sensei. They 'defeated' him easily. Then, they headed for Naruto, but Sasuke acted quickly. He took a kunai and a shuriken and threw them at their chains to trap them against a tree. I took this as a chance to attack.

"Haruno Secret Jutsu no.35: One Million Ice Petals Blizzard!"

I took more caution this time. Instead of a thousand, I only created about a hundred petals and made them circle around the ninja faster and faster. I was pretty sure that they were taking at least a little damage. However, when they broke free of their chains, they were able to break free from my jutsu as well since I didn't use that many ice petals. At least they had a couple cuts on them.

After they were free, they immediately headed for Tazuna. I stepped in front of the bridge builder, preparing for the worst. Sasuke, of course _had_ to jump in front of me. We waited in anticipation for them to reach us. Finally, Kakashi-stepped in. After our little 'conversation' back there, I never did think that he was dead.

I sighed in relief, then looked towards my teammates. Everybody looked unharmed, except Naruto who had a cut on his hand. I bent down and searched through my backpack for ointment and some bandages. The cut was pretty big. Kakashi-sensei looked at Naruto.

"Sorry Naruto, I should've came in to stop them sooner. I just didn't hink you would freeze up like that."

Then he came over to us.

"Good job Sasuke, Sakura, very smooth."

Then he looked straight into my eyes and smiled.

"It must've been scary to see somebody charge at you again. Are you okay?"

I was confused. Oh, he must've meant that night when Tou-san was killed. I didn't even think about that.

"I'm fine."

"Good, that jutsu looked better. It was much more controlled. "

He left and Sasuke looked at me weird. Oh yeah, since the Haruno Clan wasn't that famous as the Uchiha Clan, not many people knew of the massacre. He approached me.

"What was he talking about?"

I looked away.

"None of your business."

I decided to quote what he had said to me this morning. He narrowed his eyes. Looks like he's not gonna give up any time soon.

"Tell me."

"Since when did you care about what happens to me?"

He seemed to get really angry.

"When in the world did someone charge at you like that?"

I couldn't take it anymore.

"When I was five okay?! Quit thinking that everything is always about you! You're not the only one who had to see your clan members die!"

I immediately walked away. I can't believe that I just lost myself like that. I usually don't lose my temper that easy. I went towards Naruto since he seemed pretty freaked out about the fact that there was poison in his blood stream. I tried to calm him down while Kakashi-sensei talked to Tazuna. I gave him a small smile.

"Relax Naruto, you'll be fine. I'm pretty sure that the poison isn't that dangerous. By the way they fought, I'm pretty sure they're only about a chunin level. It's rare that chunins will be carrying anything life threatening." He seemed to calm down and we joined the others who surrounded the ninja.

"…How did you know about our ambush?"

"A puddle on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks. It was obvious, and I wasn't the only one that noticed it either, right Sakura?"

"……"

Tazuna looked at both of us, then spoke.

"If you knew about the attack, why did you leave it to the genin to do all the work?"

"…I could've taken them out quickly, but then I would learn nothing. I had to know who their target was…and, what they were after. Us, ninja against ninja…or you, the master bridge builder. When you put in the request, you asked for standardized protection, from robbers and highwaymen. You did not mention that there were ninja after you, hunting you down. If we had known this, this would've been a B-ranked mission of higher. I understand that you may have your reasons, but lying to us is unacceptable. This squad is unable to continue the mission."

He was right.

"We're genin, and this mission is beyond our level of training. We should go back, and I thin that we should get the poison out of Naruto's wound as soon as possible. Back at the village, we can take him to get a medic's help."

"…Hmmm, Naruto's hand could become a problem. Oh well, I guees we should go back to the village and have his hand treated."

Naruto turned tense. It looks like he didn't like the fact that we were going to quit the mission because of him. He took a kunai and thrust it into his wound. I couldn't help but gasp.

"Ugh…why am I always so different. I trained for hours, by myself, until it hurt to get here. Anything to get stronger, to reach my dream…I will never back down again, and let someone else save me. I will not lose to Sasuke…Upon this wound, I make this pledge. Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife. Don't you guys worry about me, I'm fine…Now let's go!"

"Naruto… it was really cool how you got the poison out and all, but if you lose anymore blood, you're gonna die."

"……"

I went up to Kakashi-sensei and gave him the ointment and the bandages while Naruto was freaking out about what dying.

"You know Kakashi-sensei, you really shouldn't have exaggerated like that. There's no way he'll _die_ from a wound like that."

"I know, but I had to make him think it was serious or he'd be too stubborn to let us treat it."

As Kakashi-sensei was treating the wound, I saw him widen his eyes at something, then return to normal. I wonder what it was. I'll be sure to ask about it later.

AN: Another chapter completed, yay! I need at least 10 reviews to upload the next chapter, so…**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!**


	6. Chapter 6

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Thank you so everyone for all of the reviews. They really meant a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

_Recap: As Kakashi-sensei was treating the wound, I saw him widen his eyes at something, then return to normal. I wonder what it was. I'll be sure to ask about it later._

Chapter 6: Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist Village

Sakura's POV

We were currently on a boat going through very thick mist. Then, the bridge appeared before us. It was a breath taking sight. However, everyone remained silent. We all knew that we were approaching enemy territory. Well, almost everyone did.

"Whoa! It's huge!"

Naruto was then quickly shushed by the man that owned the boat. Idiot. How dumb can he get? It was simple task, keep quiet, and we'll go through the mist unseen. Of course Naruto just had to put our lives on the line. Sometimes, I really wish that Naruto wasn't on my squad.

"Tazuna-san…"

Kakashi-sensei's voice caught my attention. I have a feeling he's going to say something important.

"…before, we reach land, I want to ask you something. Why are ninja after you? If you don't answer, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to end this mission when we reach the shore."

That's right. We still haven't figured out why our client was being attacked. I thought back to his introduction. He mentioned that he was a bridge builder. That shouldn't be something that's really out of the ordinary, much less worth ninja chasing after.

"I guess it won't hurt to tell you the truth. The man that's after be is a short man, that casts a very long shadow. I'm sure you've heard of him, for he is very wealthy and famous. His name is Gato."

"Gato…the buisiness me?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Gato, is a very powerful leader of a well known company, that is correct. However, what most people don't know is that he also takes over nations using ninja and gangs…It was about a year ago when Gato set his eyes on the Land of Waves. He used his wealth to take control of our transport and shipping. In an island country, the man who controls the seas controls everything: food, government, therefore, our lives. Anyone who opposed him simply, disappeared…However, under his powerful image, Gato fears one thing: the bridge. The bridge will connect us to the mainland the people will break free from his control."

That's it! It all fits.

"I see." I stated, "Since you're the master bridge builder, controls the construction of the bridge, you stand in Gato's way.

"That means those two guys we fought in the forest were working for Gato." Sasuke said.

"I still don't understand, if you knew that Gato was this dangerous, then why did you hide that from us when you requested the mission?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Because the Land of Waves is in poverty. Even our nobles have little money. I could not afford an A or B-ranked mission…If you were to were to drop me off shore without protection, I will be assassinated. There will be no bridge, and my people will lose all their hope."

Is he trying to guilt us into continuing the mission?

"But don't worry about it. It's not your fault. Of course my grandson will yell 'Granddad, granddad, I want my granddad!"

Yep, he's trying to make us feel guilty.

"And my daughter will blame the shinobi of Konoha for not taking care of her father and live the rest of her life in sorrow."

Okay, now this is starting to get annoying. I looked towards Kakashi-sensei for his decision.

"-sigh- Well, I guess we have to choice, we'll have to keep guarding you." He caved.

"Ohh, I'm very grateful. Thank you so much!"

We approached land and thanked the boatman that brought us here. I looked around. It seemed like a peaceful village. However, ii could tell that they were indeed in poverty. The houses looked old and the civilians looked dirty. I stared at them with pity.

On our way to Tazuna's house, Naruto began to act like an idiot by throwing kunai knives at random places, saying that _something _was there. The only thing there was was an innocent frightened rabbit, which he managed to hit. I sighed. Poor little thing.

Wait a minute, a _white_ rabbit? Aren't wild rabbits only supposed to be white during winter when their fur changes color? Oh oh, I have a bad feeling about this.

Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei yelled 'Get Down' and a large sword came right pass us and struck a tree. Then, a man appeared on its handle. He looked back at us with a dark aura around him. I spotted his headband, which was from the Village Hidden in the Mist.

He looked at us with the same expression that my uncle gave me that night when he was trying to kill me. From that point, I knew, this man was dangerous.

"Well well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, a rouge ninja from the village hidden in the mist." Kakashi-sensei addressed him.

Rouge ninja! That means he's a traitor to their village. Not good, defiantly not good. However, Naruto seemed oblivious to how strong this man was and charged for him, only to be stopped by Kakashi-sensei's had.

"Stay back Naruto, he's out of your league." Kakashi-sensei commanded.

"If you're our enemy, then I'll be needing this."

Slowly, Kakashi-sensei lifted his headband to reveal his left eye. When he opened it, I was surprised. His eye was red! What could this mean?

Sasuke's POV

"Kakashi, of the Sharingan eye, is that correct?"

Sharingan? Impossible, that's my clan's bloodline limit. How can he have it?!

"Protect Tazuna-san and stay out of this fight." He ordered.

Suddenly, the area around us was surrounded by a thick mist.

"Enough talking, I need to exterminate the old man…now!"

Without thinking, all three of us genin placed ourselves in front of Tazuna, ready to fight. Then, the ninja, Zabuza stood on the water and made a hand sign.

"Ninja art, Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

He vanished.

The mist became thicker and thicker. Soon, I couldn't even sense Kakashi who I was sure was right in front of us. It was quiet. Not even Naruto dared to make a single noise. Then, I felt a strong chakra in front of us. Kakashi had summoned a lot of chakra around his body to make the mist vanish.

This feeling, I can hardly breathe. It was as if if I made a single movement, I be killed instantly. If it goes on like this I'll go insane. No…I'd rather…

Without realizing it, I had grabbed my kunai and was about to stab myself.

"Sasuke…"

I broke out if my trance.

"Calm down. I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not let my comrades die, trust me."

He turned back and smiled at us.

"I wouldn't be so sure…"

Suddenly, I realized that Zabuza was right between our formation.

"…It's over."

He was about to stick us, when Kakashi blocked the attack and thrusted a kunai into Zabuza's torso. However, Zabuza changed into a water clone and appeared behind Kakashi. He charged his sword through Kakashi, only to find out that it was a clone as well. A kunai appeared by his neck, ready to end his life.

"Don't move…now it's over."

I silently let out the breath I was holding. I seriously believed it was over, only to see that the real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and the one he was holding captive turned out to be a clone. Kakashi got kicked through the air and into the lake. So, not only did this rouge ninja have great skill in ninjutsu, but he has great physical strength Then, Zabuza made some had signs.

"Water prison jutsu!"

Water immerged from the lake and surrounded Kakashi into a ball of water. He made another water clone and used it to attack us since his hand was stuck in the water prison. The clone kicked Naruto into the air and Naruto's headband fell off.

"Now, time to get rid of the little brats."

Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke…take the bridge builder and run! He's using all of his chakra to keep me in his water prison. Therefore, he can only use his water clone to fight, which can't go far from his real body. Hurry up, get out of here." Kakashi yelled.

Run away? Not an option. That became impossible the minute you got caught. It doesn't matter how fast we go, or how far we go, he'll hunt us down, and wipe us out. Then, I saw Sakura motioning Naruto and I towards her. Out of curiosity, I quickly ran towards her.

"If we run away, he'll merely kill Kakashi-sensei quickly and come after us before we're even out of hearing range. Our only option is to get Kakashi-sensei out of that water prison."

"And how are we supposed to do that? There's no way we can defeat someone like him." I told her.

She smirked.

"We don't necessarily have to _defeat_ him in order to free Kakashi-sensei. All we have to do is get him to get go of his water prison."

"…Eh, ho do we do that, Sakura-chan?"

"I have a plan…listen up…"

Sakura told the two of us exactly what to do. Her plan didn't seem that convincing, but it's worth a shot. The three of us got into position.

First, Naruto made multiple shadow clones distract the water clone while the real Naruto turned into a shuriken and threw himself at me.

"…Demon Wind Shuriken…Windmill of Shadows!"

I threw the large shuriken and aimed for Zabuza's real body. He caught it.

"Shuriken won't work on me." He said.

I smirked, unfazed, remembering what Sakura said. _"Remember, this shuriken can manipulate shadows, so it'll look like you're only throwing one shuriken, but when you're actually throwing two.."._ And just like we planned, another shuriken appeared behind Zabuza and aimed for him again. Since he already had one in his hand, he couldn't dodge it. Therefore, he jumped up to dodge it. _"If we get lucky, it'll hit,_ _but just incase it doesn't, we can still work from there. That shuriken is actually Naruto transformed…"_

"I told you, a shuriken can't touch me."

Then, Naruto released the transformation and used the element of surprise to aim a kunai at Zabuza. He was forced to let go of the water prison. "_Now Zabuza's going to be really mad when he realizes we've 'defeated' him, so he'll probably attack Naruto who's the closest of us all. That's when I come in…"_ Before Zabuza could launch the shuriken in his left hand at Naruto (which he was planning to do since he was spinning it) Sakura made some hand signs.

"Haruno Secret Jutsu no. 4: Body Bind!"

Then, Zabuza froze his movements.

"W-wh-at? I- I can't move."

_"The body Bind Jutsu is extremely powerful. One would have to have an unbelievably large amount of chakra in order to break it. However, the down side to it being so powerful is that it only lasts for a couple seconds. Therefore, it should give just enough time for you, Naruto to get out of attack range as much as possible, and Kakashi-sensei to recover from the jutsu and protect Naruto incase he didn't get away in time."_

Just like we planned it, by the time the Body Bind jutsu ended, Naruto was already a good distance from Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei was blocking the shuriken incase Zabuza tried to throw it again.

"Sakura, that was an excellent plan, and the three of you carried it out perfectly. You guys really have grown. Good job!"

"Hmph, I was distracted, that's all."

"Don't flatter yourself, you were forced to let go."

It was quiet for a moment. No one said a word. I looked over in Sakura's direction. Our eyes met and she nodded, knowing exactly what I was telling her without saying a word. In an instant, we were both in front of Tazuna ready to continue protecting him.

The two ninja on the water started to battle. First, the jumped a couple yards away from each other. Zabuza began making a series of hand signs, which Kakashi copied in an instant with the Sharingan. Incredible. Their movements were perfectly in sync.

"…Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu." They said at the same time.

I watched as two water dragons immerged from the water and began to twist around one another. They attacked each other with equal force, resulting to water slashing everywhere. Naruto was almost drowned by the waves while Tazuna, Sakura, and I had water up to our waists for a couple seconds.

After the water calmed down, they circled each other and stopped. Yet again, they formed the same hand sign. Zabuza looked shocked at their movements. So did everyone else. They wer peobubly all thinking the same thing: _How can he make the exact movements at the same time?_ I, of course, being an Uchiha, knew the answer to that question.

"…Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" Kakashi yelled.

A large ball of water immerged and surrounded Zabuza before he could react. The vortex slammed him against a tree. Kakashi wasn't finished yet. He then threw a couple kunai at Zabza and stabbed him in his arms and legs.

"You're finished," he said.

Then, just as Kakashi was about to finish him off, two senbone appeared and struck Zabuza at his throat. I looked up to see a guy in a mask. Zabuza fell.

Kakashi jumped down to check his pulse.

"He's not breathing." He announced.

"Thank you," The masked man bowed his head. "I have been tracking this man for a long time."

"By your mask, I see that you're a tracker nin from the Mist."

Naruto suddenly became angry, probably since this, this kid just defeated Zabuza with no sweat when we had to use teamwork and careful planning just to get him to let go of a water prison. I was getting pretty angry myself too. He looks, our age, and yet, he's strong enough to hunt down dangerous criminals. I can't believe it.

The tracker ninja appeared beside Zabuza's body and picked him up, even though he was twice his size.

"There are many secrets in this body that I must take care of…Please excuse me, sayonara."

He disappeared.

"-sighs- Well, we haven't completed the mission yet. We still have to get the bridge builder, to his bridge." Kakashi said.

"Hehe, sorry to cause you all the trouble. You guys can rest at my house when we get to the veillage." He told us.

"Alright then, let's get a move on."

He started to walk, then stopped after a couple steps. Suddenly, he fell forward, and didn't move on the ground. We all ran towards him.

"Kakashi-sensei…Kakashi-sensei!"


	7. Chapter 7

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Hey everyone thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap: Suddenly, he fell forward, and didn't move on the ground. We all ran towards him._

"_Kakashi-sensei…Kakashi-sensei!"_

Chapter 7: Chakra

Sakura's POV

We finally arrived at Tazuna's house. When we arrived, we met Tazuna's daughter, a beautiful woman named Tsunami, and her son, Inari. Kakashi-sensei was immediately put on to a bed. I'm not necessarily a medical ninja, but I was able to see that he wasn't in a life threatening condition. However, just to be on the safe side, a transplanted some of my chakra into him using another one of my clan's secret jutsus. He just woke up.

"Look, sensei's up!" Naruto exclaimed.

He tried to sit up, but failed.

"Don't push yourself, Kakashi-sensei. You're lucky you're even conscious at this point since I transplanted some of my chakra into you. That Sharingan of yours took up too much of your chakra." I told him.

"Right…"

"Anyways, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you guys about. I have a bad feeling about the tracker ninja from the village hidden in the mist. I…I think that Zabuza is still alive."

"…What do you mean, Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"I mean, now that I think about it, I remember reading about trackers once. They are the elite of a shinobi village and are made to eliminate rouge ninja so that the secrets of their village will not fall into the hands of an enemy. Therefore, wouldn't a tracker ninja dealt with the rouge ninja on the spot instead of carrying him away to prevent mistakes?"

"What?!" Naruto yelled.

"I've been thinking about it for awhile now. The tracker carried Zabuza away instead of working on him right on the spot like he should've done. Also, those weapons he used, they were senbone, mostly used for medical procedures or hitting pressure points…That's it! That's what he was trying to do. He didn't kill Zabuza, he was saving him!"

"Impossible, Kakashi said that he shopped breathing, didn't he?" Sasuke countered.

"…I'm afraid that Sakura might be right. Zabuza's still alive. He did stop breathing, but that may be only a temporally state. Think about it, like she said, he used senbone, which can rarely kill unless damaging a vital organ, not in the neck. Zabuza's not dead, yet."

The room was quiet for a moment. Naruto started shaking, but I could tell that it was from anticipation, not fear. How ironic, he's actually happy that the enemy's alive.

"I'm almost positive that Zabuza's going to attack again, so we need to prepare for it." Kakash-sensei said.

"Hang on, how can we prepare for anything if you can't even move?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I can still train you."

Training? I doubt that some last minute training's going to change anything, but I guess that it's worth a shot. Besides, I looked towards Kakashi-sensei, if a rouge ninja knew his name, then he must be pretty powerful. Besides, I have a feeling that he's a lot stronger than we originally thought, and being trained by one of the best is a privilege. I inwardly smiled. Maybe he'll bring me one step closer into getting stronger and avenging Tou-san.

Kakashi's POV (AN: I know I'm just randomly throwing this in here cause this story has been mostly spoken by Sakura or Sasuke, but I thought it was getting kinda boring.)

We were walking together through some woods near Tazuna's house. I took the time to evaluate my team. Naruto sure has grown since I first met him. I think he's finally starting to think about his actions. Sasuke's warming up to the others as well. He's not as cold and emotionless as before. Sakura…she's a mystery. I mean, I just don't seem to understand her. She's polite, but not really bonding. It's as if she's purposely making herself an outcast. Her skill is exceptional and she's very clever, but…I can't really say that she lacks people skills because she gets alone with others, more like she acts like an adult, instead of a kid. Sure, Sasuke isn't really social, but the way he's stubborn and has a big ego is pretty childish. But Sakura, she was easily able to take charge and think of a plan back when I was fighting Zabuza, like a leader would've done. When she talks to us, she acts like we were strangers, and chooses her words carefully when she speaks.

I wonder if she still remembers me, from that day, seven years ago. Then again, she couldn't have. My face was behind a mask and I was only in the Haruno main house for a couple minutes until I left to pursue Kioshi. I looked at her from the corners of my eye. She wasn't frowning, nor smiling, her face was neutral. That's a quality I picked up from the Harunos: They're very good at masking their faces. They could easily act neutral, confusing you, as if they didn't know which side they were on. I guess it's a family trait.

We arrived at a spot I thought would be perfect for the training in mind. This particular training not only practices chakra control, but when done by a group, can help with teamwork as well.

"Okay, this training is all about chakra, since it's essential to a shinobi's technique."

"Yeah yeah, we know all about, what's it called…oh yeah, catra from the academy." Naruto said.

"Chakra." I corrected "Sakura, go ahead."

She nodded.

"Chakra is the elemental energy shinobi use in jutsu and techniques. This energy is made of physical energy, and spiritual energy. When the two forces combine into one, they create chakra. Finally, hand signs are used to physically draw the chakra out from your body."

"Right on every point. It seems Iruka really did have some splendid students."

She didn't react much to the compliment.

"Ahh, what's the big deal with all these complicated explanations. The whole point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it?" Naruto asked.

"The dobe's right for once. We've already mastered chakra in our jutsus." Sasuke added

"Wrong, you haven't 'mastered' chakra at all, you've barely scratched the surface." I told them.

"What do you mean?!" Naruto yelled.

"He means," Sakura explained, "That just because you can perform a couple little jutsus doesn't mean you've mastered chakra. In fact, if you ever wanted to be able to fight against someone like Zabuza, you'd need to master chakra on a greater level than right now to perform more complex jutsus."

"That's right. Chakra must be released at the exact amount for the jutsu to work at its full potential. Up until now, you've only guessed the amount you put into your jutsus, hoping that it comes out right. Even if you do summon a large amount of chakra and can't master it, you won't complete the jutsu properly, and your chakra will be wasted."

"Oh, so how do we do that?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going to put you through a particular training exercise. It'll be hard at first, but once you're done, you'll be able to control chakra like second nature." I told them.

"So, what are we going to do?" Sakura asked.

I smiled. "You're going to climb a tree."

"Climb a tree?!" They all yelled.

"There's just one rule, no hands."

"What, that's impossible to do." Naruto shouted.

"Is it?"

I demonstrated by drawing my chakra to my feet and walking up the tree with my feet. They all looked at me in awe. I stopped when was hanging upside down from a branch.

"Well, you get the idea. Focus your chakra to the soles of your feet and connect them to the tree. This will allow you to not only maintain both your spiritual and physical energy, but also the amount of chakra you draw out. Too little, you won't be able to climb. Too much, you'll get pushed off the tree. It has to be absolutely perfect. If you master this training, you'll be able to master any jutsu, well theoretically anyways."

Threw three kunai to the ground right in front of them.

"Use the kunai to mark the highest point that you get to, without using your hands. Try to get higher the next time, and the next. You'll need to run at the tree first to use your momentum to take you farther. Ready?"

They all reached for the kunai.

"I'm all over this. This'll be no sweat, dattebayo!" Naruto yelled.

He sure is cocky. I watched as they all summoned chakra towards the bottoms of their feet and charged at the tree. Naruto took two steps, then fell off and hit his head. Sasuke was able to go a couple feet before he got pushed off from using too much chakra.

Well, that's about what I expected from Sasuke, and Naruto.

"Hey, this is kinda fun."

I looked up to see Sakura, sitting on a high branch, right under the leaves.

"Well, it looks like the female member of the squad is the most advanced in chakra control. Well done Sakura."

"Wow, Sakura-chan, I always knew you were awesome."

"Hn, whatever."

Then again, I can't really say that his is a surprise. I should've known by now from the bell test that she had perfect chakra control. She was able to push me back from the impact of her punch, and she created a good amount of ice petals by skillfully manipulating the water in the atmosphere.

I frowned a little. I don't get it. If Iruka knew that she was this skillful, then why was she put on the same team as Sasuke? Putting two strong graduates on the same team will make it unbalanced, and unfair for others. It could only mean one thing, they purposely placed this team together whether or not their powers were balanced. Is it for emotional reasons? I better ask Hokage-sama when we get back.

All three seemed worn out. Sasuke is making some progress, Naruto, not so much, and Sakura just told me a couple minutes ago that she reached the top. I wonder when the other two are finally going to understand the second half of the training.

Naruto was throwing a tantrum again. He's so predictable. However, after that he approached Sakura who was resting at the foot of her tree. I was out of hearing range, but I'm pretty sure I know what he's doing. He's asking for help. So he finally understands how to get stronger. If he keeps this up, I'm sure that he'll reach his dream in no time. After all, he has more chakra than both Sasuke and Sakura combined because of the nine tailed fox. He may even have more chakra tan me. I wonder how long it's going to take Sasuke to follow his example. After all, prodigy or not, Sasuke needs advice from time to time as well. Let's see how long it'll take to swallow his big ego.

AN: So what do you think? Good, bad, so-so? Well, **REVIEW!!** And I'll know. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. In fact, I won't be able to update as often as I use to be able to because I switched into a harder school. Again, Sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap: After all, prodigy or not, Sasuke needs advice from time to time as well. Let's see how long it'll take to swallow his big ego. _

Chapter: Attack at the Bridge

Sakura's POV

I woke up in Tazuna's spare room for a good night sleep. Naruto, Sasuke, and I had to share a room, but I didn't mind _that _much. After all, the family wasn't particularly rich and didn't have a lot of bedrooms. I only thought that it was unfair since Kakashi-sensei got a bedroom to himself. He made an excuse about him being the leader of the mission, therefore allowing him to have his own room. But come on, I mean _I'm_ the girl. It was only logical that that room should've been mine.

I looked to my right. It looks like Sasuke's already up since hie bedding was folded and he was nowhere in sight. Then to my left. Naruto was still sleeping with his sheets all tangled up. I had to hold back a giggle. Same old Naruto. He'll always be an idiot no matter how much he tries not to.

I got dressed and went to the kitchen. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke were already there.

"Ohayo." I said.

"Ohayo, Sakura-san, did you get a good night sleep?" Tsunami asked.

"Hai, by the way, you don't need the add the honorific." I answered.

"If you say so, Sakura-chan. Well, here's your breakfast. Eat up!"

She placed a plate of fried fish in front of me.

"Arigato. It looks great."

It tasted great too, just like a mother's food should. Eating this actually reminded me of my own kaa-san. I wonder what she's doing right now?

-_flashback-_

_"Kaa-san, I'm home!"_

_"Oh, Sakura-chan, how did the mission go?"_

_"It was boring. We had to chase after some lady's cat. Naruto got scratched in the face, though."_

_"Really, is he okay?"_

_"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. It was just a little scratch. By the way, I have a new mission."_

_"Already? What do you have to do this time?"_

_"It's my first C-rank. Naruto got it for us by complaining and acting stubborn."_

_"A C-rank?! Already, are you sure you're up for it?"_

_"Yeah, I think so. Anyways, we just have to guard some old bridge builder. Besides, if anything bad happens, Kakashi-sensei will take care of it. After all, he is a jounin."_

_"I suppose so…Well, I'm off. My lunch period is over and I need to get back to the academy. There's some sushi in the fridge."_

_"Matte, before you go…I need to talk to you about something."_

_"Hmm…what is it."_

_"Well…it's just that…ever since Tou-san…passed away, you've been working yourself really hard. But, now, I'm a full-fledged shinobi, so I'll be making money on missions. It won't be a lot at first…but I'm pretty sure It's enough for you to take it easy a bit…So…I think you should quit your night shifts at the hospital."_

_There was a long pause. I gave Kaa-san the look that said I'm-not-taking-no-for-an-answer. She finally answered with a sigh._

_"Fine, but in return, you have to promise me something as well."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Don't push yourself too hard thinking that you're not good enough, either in training or on a mission. I'll tell you right now, you're stronger than you think. Don't let the past get to you."_

_"…hai."_

_"Well, good luck on your mission. Double check what you pack and come back home safely. I'll miss you."_

_She gave me a long hug._

_"I'll miss you too."_

_-end of flashback-_

I didn't really understand what I was promising her at that point. I figured it didn't matter as long as she quit her night shifts. Her words didn't make sense to me. _You're stronger than you think. _Yeah right. I'm not strong at all. There are plenty of shinobi out there that are 100 times stronger than I am. And d_on't let the past get to you._ What was that supposed to mean?

"Today, the three of us will accompany Tazuna-san as he continues building the bridge." Kakashi-sensei announced.

"The three of us? What about Naruto?" I asked.

"Naruto was training really hard yesterday, so I think we should give him the day off." He answered.

"Hn."

"Yeah, he did faint yesterday as soon as he stepped into the house." I noted.

"Well, we'll leave as soon as breakfast is over, so hurry up and eat."

Therefore, immediately after breakfast, we headed out. However, when we got there, we were met with a huge surprise.

"Nani…no way…"

Scattered across the bridge were the bodies of the workers. Luckily, many were groaning so they must still be alive. My eyes widened in horror. This was just like the Haruno Massacre. Bodies lay everywhere. The only difference was that this incident did not have any blood.

Stop. Pull it together, Sakura. They're not dead, and this is no time to be thinking about _that_ incident.

Then, Zabuza appeared in front of us…with the tracker nin.

"Long time no see, Kakashi. I see you brought the brats with you, and look, that one's shaking again."

I looked to my right. Sure enough, Sasuke was shaking. About ten Zabuza clones surrounded us. But suddenly, he smirked.

"I'm shaking…with excitement."

Sensei smiled. "Go ahead, Sasuke."

Then, in a blink of an eye Sasuke eliminated all of the clones. Showoff. But I guess that training did do him some good.

"It looks like you've got a rival, Haku."

"So it seems."

The nerve of him! How dare he show his face after tricking us like that!

"I'll fight him," Sasuke stated.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sasuke, he's strong. We should stick together so prevent casualties as much as possible." I countered.

"Tch, stay out of my way."

Jackass.

My efforts were useless though, because as soon as I was done talking, the tracker launched himself at Sasuke. They began a fight with taijutsu. It was fast, so fast that I could barely keep up.

"Sakura, stay by my side, and protect Tazuna. We'll let Sauke handle this." Kakashi-sensei told me.

"Are you sure that's logical?" I asked, "I have a bad feeling about that tracker. He's stronger than he looks, for sure."

"Perhaps, but he and Sasuke are already in a fight, so this is the only thing we can do right now."

He must've seen my uneasiness because he quickly said, "Don't worry, if it gets out of hand, I'll step in."

I had no choice but to watch as the battle progressed. It was hard, to just watch Sasuke in action while I was on the sidelines ding nothing. But I had no choice. Sensei had more experience than me, so I have to listn to what he says. Besides, if it gets out of hand, he'll step in, right?

I watched as Sasuke was able to push his opponent back. I sighed in relief. I guess he wasn't as strong as a thought. Sensei smiled next to me.

"Never underestimate my team of rookies. Sasuke graduated number one in his class, Sakura isn't that far behind either, and defiantly is the brightest. Finally, there's Naruto, the number one knuckleheaded ninja in the entire village."

Great, I'm in second place. How comforting.

Then, I felt something different in the atmosphere. I looked over to the tracker. Oh no, he's getting serious now. Suddenly, the water around us began to turn into ice and formed a cage-like structure around Sasuke. I was right from the beginning.

"Secret Jutsu: Demonic Ice Mirrors!"

Something's wrong. Kakashi dashed towards the structure, only to be blocked by Zabuza.

"You're opponent is me."

Great plan, Sensei.

Finally, my worst fear came. Somehow, the tracker was able to strike Sasuke with throwing needles going way too fast for me to see.

He's hurt. I knew it, I knew that we should've stuck together, I knew that the tracker was stronger than he seems, I knew, and yet I couldn't do anything. I'm _useless._

"Ahhhhh!"

I did the only thing I could do. I took a kunai, took a couple steps, and threw it at the mirror. He blocked it. I tried my ice petal jutsu, but It was hard to aim at him going so fast, and I didn't want to hit Sasuke. I couldn't do anything from this position, and I couldn't disobey Kakashi-sensei's orders.

Just as I had lost all hope, smoke filled the area. I watched as it disappeared, showing a figure.

"Have no fear, Uzumaki Naruto is here!"

Baka.

AN: I don't know if you guys have heard this from me before, but I don't like writing action scenes. I'm much better at describing a character's feelings than writing about knives and bloodshed. Therefore, you probably realized that I'm having difficulties updating both of my Naruto stories, because they are in the middle of action scenes. I do not plan on quitting, or putting them on Hiatus, but I just need you guys to know that it's hard, and I'm trying my best. **Review!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Another Beginning

**Another Beginning**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap:__"Have no fear, Uzumaki Naruto is here!"_

_Baka._

Chapter 9: Sharingan

Sasuke's POV's POV

If he would've stayed hidden, and jumped in at the last minute, we would've had somewhat of an advantage. God, Naruto, how in the world did you pass the academy?

I need to get out of this prison. I'm helpless while I'm in that masked ninja's jutsu. If I can't attack him from the inside, then I'll have to attack him from the outside. That's it! We need to attack him from the inside and the outside. And Naruto and I are in the perfect position.

"Hey, I came in here to save you."

"…You total moron! If you're a shinobi, then use your head! Why did you come inside the ice mirrors! Dammit, I don't care anymore. You're a dobe."

"What did you say! I come in here to save you and that's what I get?!"

"Ugh, that's it, these mirrors are made of ice, right…"

I made the hand signals necessary to perform a fireball jutsu.

"…Then I'll just melt them."

I released the jutsu. It didn't work.

"You can't melt this ice with that level of fire." The tracker said.

Afterwards, he continued to launch more needles at the both of us.

Sakura's POV

What should I do? Naruto and Sasuke are stuck in the mirrors and I can't do a thing to help them. Sensei's busy fighting Zabuza, so he can't do a thing either. The two of them could be dying right now and I'm just standing here!

I need to find a way to keep Zabuza busy so that Kakashi-sensei could go help the others. Should I use the paralysis jutsu? No, it wouldn't give sensei enough time. What about the ice petals? No, I can't make them spin fast enugh, nor summon ta large amount. He'll easily break out of it.

This was supposed to be a C-ranked mission, meaning all we have to do is fight robbers and highwaymen. We're not skilled enough to fight actual ninja. I know ditching Tazuna would have been a bad idea, but this is worst. We should've taken him back to the village and gotten more skilled ninja for the mission.

What's done is done, and I can't change it now. I need to find a way to help them, somehow. I refuse to be useless.

Come one, think, you're not the brightest for nothing.

"Sakura, relax." Kakashi-sensei reassured me.

I looked in his direction. He had his hand on his headband. I knew instantly what he would activate. The Sharingan.

"I'm going to end this right now, and then I'll go help Naruto and Sasuke."

"Those are some big words , Kakashi," Zabuza, spat, "especially since you're using the sharingan again. Seriously, is that the only thing you can do?"

"You talk big, but you are the first to see my sharingan twice. However, I assure you there won't be a third time."

"Hmph, even if you manage to defeat me, you'll never get pass Haku. You see, he has a terrifying kekei genkai that even allows him to surpass my abilities. He is the perfect fighting machine, unlike those brats you have around."

A kekei genkai, that's it! That's why he's so strong.

"Well, let's just get this over with." Sensei announced.

"The same thing won't work on me twice, Kakashi. I've already seen through your technique. You won't fool me this time. Ninpou, Hidden Mist Jutsu."

A thick mist surrounded the area. I was barely able to see Kakashi-sensei, who was merely a couple feet in front of me.

"Sakura, protest Tazuna-san."

"Hai!"

Then, sensei ran forward, disappearing in the mist.

Sasuke's POV

This is taking much too long. It won't be long until he starts striking at our vital points. I need to concentrate. See everything.

Suddenly, it was as if everything happened in slow motion. I saw everymove. From the tracker's throw, to the needles' path in the air. I quickly grabbed Naruto, who had fainted moments ago, and moved out of harm's way. At that moment, I knew, my sharingan had activated. It wasn't all the way there, but it had defiantly activated.

"I see, you also have an advanced kekkei genkai. It would seem that I am no longer able to go easy on you. This ends now." The tracker said.

I prepared myself for an attack. Most likely another group of needles. However, he did something unexpected.

He attacked Naruto.

I dashed towards him without thinking. It was too late to counter his attack, so the only thing I could do was use myself as a shield. I felt every needle as they pierced through my skin. The pain was so unbearable that I was not even able to scream.

Naruto woke up. "Hey, Sasuke, you beat him1 I knew you could-"

My back was turned to him, so I could not see his reaction. I suspected that it was something close to surprise.

"All…you ever do…is get in the way."

"Why, why did you do this! I-I didn't ask you to protect me!"

"I don't know. My body just moved. There wasn't any time to think."

I felt myself falling. Naruto caught me of course.

"That man, my brother… I made myself vow that I wouldn't die until I killed him…Naruto, don't die before you reach your dreams."

My eyelids became heavy, and everything turned black.

AN: That whole thing was totally all copied from the manga, well, except for that small section about Sakura. Don't worry, after I finish writing about the mission, I'll write something that isn't exactly like the manga. Like an extra chapter or something. Kinda like those fillers in the anime that everyone hates. **REVIEW!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Another Beginning**

Okay, I got some kinda bad reviews from my last chapter, which kinda put me in a bad mood since it was my first time getting negative comments. They weren't flames, but they read stuff like "this chapter wasn't as good as the rest," or something like that. Oh well, I guess there's a first for everything. Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is that thanks for your honesty and I'll try to improve my chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap: __My eyelids became heavy, and everything turned black._

Chapter 10: The Bridge

Sakura's POV

When Tou-san was still alive, I remembered him telling me a story about of one of his missions. He was 17 years old and had just joined the passed the jounin exams. His first mission was a simple B-ranked assignment. The mission was to eliminate a group of robbers that had been attacking a village.

Tou-san was on a group with two other ninjas. One was a 16-year-old chunnin, while the other was a 20-year-old jounin. The three of them only had to step a few feet into the village's borders to realize that these were not just ordinary robbers. For one thing, a large amount of chakra covered the entire area. Also, the damage done to the houses could not have been done by ordinary thieves. So basicly, the team was up a against a group of about 30 rouge ninja, some who were probably S-class, instead of a group of ordinary thieves they were supposed to eliminate.

Yeah, that story, kinda reminds me of my situation right now. A C-ranked mission that's supposed to be B-ranked, A B-ranked mission that was supposed to be an A-ranked. Kinda the same concept if you ask me. During the mission my Dad was assigned to, they were forced to call for reinforcements from Konoha. Also, the chunnin had died before the reinforcements had arrived.

So do you now understand why I'm why so worried that I could barely breathe? And what bugs me the most, is that I'm not doing anything. I'm just a joke to the others, I know it. Kakashi-sensei keeps on insisting that that I must stay here to protect Tazuna, but I know the truth. He's just trying to keep me out of the way. He knows I'm useless in handling either Zabuza or the tracker. If Zabuza were to charge at me right now, Kakashi-sensei would immediately step in front of me. Even if he did not make it in time, he knows that Zabuza would kill me in less than a second kill Tazuna right after that. I wasn't a shield, I was a nuisance.

Why am I always underestimated? I know that I'm just as strong as Naruto, probably even stronger. Plus, I'm not that behind from Sasuke either. Is it because I'm a girl? Is it because I'm not special, like an Uchiha? I'm the heir to the Haruno Clan for goodness sake! I have a handful of strong secret techniques that not even an average chunnin would be able to perform. So why? Why am I the one that's left behind?

Suddenly, I saw a large amount of orange colored chakra begin to swirl around the ice prison. I stared at it in shock. The air became thick and I had to concentrate to breathe properly. What's going on? Chakra is supposed to be a light blue color, not orange. What's going on? Is it another jutsu performed by the tracker? The chakra felt so fierce, as if it were alive, feeding on anger. Then, out of the blue, the tracker was crashed into one of the ice mirrors, breaking it into pieces. Right behind him came…Naruto?

I gasped, out of both horror and surprise. It was Naruto, defiantly Naruto. But his entire body was surrounded by that orange chakra. He disappeared from my sight quickly as he went out after the tracker because of the thick mist. He looked so different. I couldn't see any details from here because I was so far away, but I saw that is clothes were tore up and he was running on all fours. Was his chakra so strong that it ripped his clothing as he released it? And why was he running like that? It was as if he turned into some sort of animal.

Then, everything became silent. The orange chakra disappeared. Everything was silent. I guess Naruto…'calmed down.' What's going on? Wait, did Naruto die?!

I know this is risky, but I need to do this to make sure my teammate was live. It was a jutsu that I've been working on for some time now. It was a jutsu that was somewhat like the byakugan. It would allow me to extend my sight for a sort period of time. But if an enemy was to attack me during that period of time, I would be defenseless. Then again, who the hell cares. I'm just a nuisance.

I made the necessary hand signs, then mumbled under my breath, "Haruno Secret Jutsu No. 32: Insight."

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Soon, I saw the image I wanted. Naruto and the tracker were standing across from each other. They seemed pretty calm. Naruto seemed to have changed back to normal. It looked as if they were, talking. I had to release after a few seconds because it was beginning to drain all my chakra.

Okay, they were talking. It's better than fighting. Next, I checked on Sasuke.

One look told me that he was in trouble. He was lying on the floor, not moving at all. He had many throwing needles sticking out of him. I felt tears in my eyes. Tazuna must've seen my reaction.

"Oi, Sakura, what's wrong?"

I grabbed his hand without thinking and ran towards Sasuke. I went straight through the thick mist and did not stop until I reached Sasuke.

I knelt by his side and listened for a heartbeat. It was very faint, but it was there. I needed to keep it going or he'll die. I concentrated my chakra to my hands and began pumping it into his chest. Now I really regret not asking kaa-san to train me in some more healing techniques.

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks. I didn't bother wiping them away. I was scared, really scared.

Sasuke's POV

I woke up in darkness. Where am I? Am I dead? My whole body was in pain. No, I'm not dead. If I were dead, I wound not be in pain. I felt something warm pushing down on my chest. Slowly, I opened my eyes. I saw Sakura pounding on my chest. She stopped when she noticed I was awake. Our eyes met for what seemed like an eternity.

"A-are you okay?" She asked without looking away.

"…yeah."

I noticed she had tears in her eyes. Then, she did something that absolutely warmed my heart. She smiled the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. Now that I looked at her, I finally realized how angel-like she was. She lifted me by the shoulders to help me stand up. I looked around for the first time.

"The mist has cleared." I stated.

Sakura looked around as well.

"You're right," she said, "Kakashi-sensei must have defeated Zabuza."

"What happened to the tracker?"

I got my answer before she had the chance to answer. Up ahead, I saw him on the ground covered in blood. Zabuza looked defeated as well. I also noticed that a large group on men armed with weapons were standing in the distance.

"Oi, teme, Sakura-chan, are you two okay?!" Naruto called towards us.

I looked in his direction. He seemed fine as well.

"Hey," yelled Gato's men, " you just killed our meal."

"Yeah, now we'll have to rob the village."

Not good, not good at all. We're not strong enough right now to take down all these men.

"Don't you dare," a voice called. I looked to see that it was Tazuna's grandson with a large group of villagers, "or the citizens of this country will stop you with all our might."

Then, Naruto formed his shadow clone jutsu. Showoff. Kakashi followed the example. I guess they're trying to trick them. It worked, because soon, Gato's men began to run away. Idiots.

It looks like it's all over. The bridge will now be completed. Then, I looked over to Sakura's direction. She was still smiling. No, this wasn't the end. It was merely the beginning, and we both knew it…


	11. Chapter 11

XxFlowerAngelxX here. I apologize for not updating for a long time. Some of you who read my other story Different may have seen that I am discontinuing it. However, do not worry, because I do not plan on discontinuing this one.

Another chapter to Another Beginning will be up soon to replace this AN. Again, I apologize for not updating for so long.


	12. Chapter 12

**Another Beginning**

Sorry for the REALLY long delay. I had a little trouble getting back to this story.

Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry for the grammar mistakes. By the way, I've been getting some reviews about my chapters being too close to the manga. I apologies, but please understand my situation: I'm trying to create my own story, but keep the plot original as well. If I change the plot TOO much, it'll sound too weird. So please, bear with me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

_Recap: She was still smiling. No, this wasn't the end. It was merely the beginning, and we both knew it…_

Chapter 11: The Chunnin Exams

Sakura's POV

_Fear-a ninja's greatest weakness. This was a man who controlled fear. I could not move, could not speak, could not think. I watched in horror as he extended his neck and attacked Sasuke. He bit Sasuke in the neck, resulting to Sasuke letting out an ear-piercing scream as he fell to the ground. I caught him and held him tight in my arms._

_I looked around and found myself alone, no one to help me, not one to tell me what to do. Sasuke had finally calmed down and was unconscious. I suddenly had the feeling that I was vulnerable, and defend less against anything the world threw at me._

~xoxoxoxo~

I woke up screaming. I looked around to see that I was still in my. I sighed, it was just a dream, or was it a vision? Few select members of the Haruno clan who are strong enough are given the gift of seeing visions every now and then.

Where was I? I was in some forest, with trees that were so tall I could barely see the sky. I was with Sasuke, but Naruto and Kakashi-sensei were nowhere in sight. It couldn't have been that far in the future because we still looked the same. I better keep my guard up from now on.

I dressed in my usual training clothes and headed for the bridge, our usual meeting spot. As usual, Sasuke was already there.

"Ohayo."

"Hn."

Typical greeting.

We stood on opposite sides of the railings. I knew better than to start a conversation with him. Although we've become _slightly _closer after the mission to the land of waves, he's still a human ice cube.

My thoughts began to wander again to my dream. Was it truly a vision? The only person who is strong enough to see visions that I know is my cursed uncle. And if it was a vision, what could it mean?

Soon Naruto came and began rambling on an on about random things. For once I was actually thankful for the distraction to clear my mind.

When Kakashi-sensei finally arrived, 30 minutes late, he brought with him a surprise.

"Guess what guys, I signed the three of you up for the chunnin exams."

I have a bad feeling about this.

He handed us our applications and gave us the directions. He also stated that his was an individual decision whether or not we wanted to attend the exams.

Afterwards, I talked it over with my mom.

"Do you think I should attend the exams?" I asked her.

She sighed. "It's not my decision, Sakura. You are the conductor of your own life. You do what you think is right."

I looked down at my feet.

"Well, give me your opinion anyways." I insisted.

She looked at me wistfully and gave a sad smile. "To tell you the truth, I never wanted you to become a shinobi. As you know, being a kunoichi was not a pleasant experience for me, which is why I quickly retired. But the rest of the clan would not allow it. They thought that as the heir of the Haruno Clan, you must become a shinobi, and a strong one as well."

She took my hands and looked into my eyes.

"Every time you got training, a mission, or anything shinobi related, I feel pain in my heart. In fact, I almost had a stroke when I found out that the C-ranked mission to the land of waves you went on was actually supposed to be B-ranked."

I frowned. "It's not like I did anything during that mission anyways."

She smiled, "not true, I hear that the reason that Uchiha boy is still alive.

I scoffed, "All I did was pump chakra into his chest. Who knew if it worked or not."

She stroked my cheek, then leaned forward and placed a small kiss on my forehead.

"Listen, do what you want to do. Don't listen to me or the clan. If you want to attend the chunnin exams, then go. If you don't think you're ready, then don't go. Either way, I will be 100% behind you."

For the rest of the day, the chunnin exams were all I thought about. That evening, the entire clan had a meeting. I listened helplessly as they argued over the issue.

"Sakura-hime must attend the exams. She must prove herself worthy as the heir."

"Have you lost your mind?! She could get killed, and if she dies, the clan will be in Kioshi's hands."

"Also, if she were to fail, it would be an embarrassment to all of us."

"What embarrassment are you talking about? People will be awed enough that she is even legible. After all, Sakura-hime is merely a rookie."

"But that Uchiha will defiantly be attending."

"Yes, if Sakura-hime drops out and an Uchiha is there, then it will seem as thought we accept that they are superior to us."

Suddenly, everyone was outraged and the room was filled with shouts. I was afraid. I didn't like conflict.

Soon, Kaa-san had dismissed them all and ordered me to go to bed. I obeyed without complaint, too tired to even think. I sighed and allowed myself to drift to sleep.

--

I took a deep breath and walked to where Naruto and Sasuke were. Naruto smiled when he spotted me.

"Hey Sakura-chan, what took you so long? We were wondering if you'd sow up or not." He said.

I faked a smile. "Me, miss the chunnin exams? No way! This is the opportunity of a life time."

We walked towards the academy together. I hope I made the right choice.

Sasuke's POV

Something's not right. Sakura's not acting like her normal self. I wonder what's wrong. I hope it's merely a small, personal problem. People get killed in these exams, and a distracted shinobi makes the perfect target.

We walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor. I saw Sakura look around and whisper into my ear "it's a genjutsu." I looked around as well. After a few more seconds, I saw it as well.

In front of the room "301" was a group of gennins there were two guys about our age who stood infront of the doors, preventing anyone from entering. We watched as a guy dressed in green got punched by them. A girl tired to reason with the two, only to be attacked as well.

One of the two guys spoke. "Listen up, the chunnin exams are not easy, and people like you have no chance in passing them. You're weak. Quit now while you can before you die like all the others in the past."

"Well we're not quitting, so let us through," I said. "And by the way, remove the genjutsu."

"So you noticed." He stated.

"It's so obvious," Sakura continued. "This is only the second floor."

Suddenly, the room became blurry and the room number changed.

"But all you did," he guy charged at me, "was see through it."

He spun his leg around, getting ready to kick me. I countered with a kick of my own. Then, out of the blue, the guy dressed green appeared in between the both of us, stopping our kicks with his bear hands. I was surprised. What was that chakra in his arms?

Then, he approached a confused looking Sakura. "Hi, my name is Rock Lee. You must be Sakura. Be my girlfriend and I'll protect you until I die!"

What the hell?

"No," she answered curtly.

I watched in amusement as he became depressed by the rejection. Then, his teammate approached me.

"Hey you, what's your name?" He asked.

"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking someone else their name." I answered, looked away.

Sakura gave me a look that clearly stated _'let's get out of here.'_ I silently agreed and the two of us walked away from the scene, with Naruto following behind us.

--

Sakura's POV

I sighed as we finally reached room 301. My thoughts flashed back momentarily to what had just happened with Rock Lee. He had challenged Sasuke to a fight, and had easily won. This made me worry about the three of us attending the exams. The guy was only a year before us, and he defeated the top graduate from our year.

When we reached our destination, Kakashi-sensei met us at the door. He seemed happy to see all three of us.

"I'm glad that all three of you came, because now you guys can properly take the exams." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The truth is, that this test is meant for teams of three. If one of you had failed to show up, I would not have been able to let you through."

My eyes widened at the news.

"Then why did you tell us it was an individual decision? You lied to us." I question.

"I lied because I didn't want the other members of the team pressuring the other member to take the exam. This is an individual decision, but it affects the whole team."

"……"

I see. So if I had chickened out and did not show up, neither Naruto nor Sasuke would've been able to take the exams. The thought of holding my teammates back made me inwardly shiver.

"Anyways, that doesn't matter now, because you're all here. I have only one more thing left to say to you guys before you pass through those doors. Naruto…"

"……"

"…Sakura…"

"……"

"…and Sasuke…"

"……"

"…I'm proud of you guys. Now go! And good luck you guys."

And with that, Sasuke and I opened the doors, and team seven entered the exams.


	13. Chapter 13

**Another Beginning**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

_Recap: "…I'm proud of you guys. Now go! And good luck you guys."_

_And with that, Sasuke and I opened the doors, and team seven entered the exams__._

Chapter 12: The Written Test

-Sakura-

I never knew that a group of genins could look so intimidating.

My eyes glanced at the group uneasily, although I tried to make my expression as uncaring as possible. If they were going to try to scare the hell out of me, then so be it. I refuse to allow them the satisfaction of seeing me weak.

"SASUKE-KUN!!!!!!!!"

I didn't even have to look to know who it was.

"So, how have you been, I missed those groovy good looks of yours." Ino said loudly as she latched onto him.

I was surprised at how much that bothered me.

"Oh, hi Sakura."

I forced I smile. "Um, hi…it's been a while."

She scoffed. "No kidding. So, I heard that you guys went on some big dangerous mission. How was it?" She was staring at her nails the whole time.

I frowned. Since when has Ino acted like such a…_bitch_?

I shrugged and turned away, not really in the mood to reminiscence about the experience. She seemed a bit offended, but at this point, I honestly didn't really care.

"So, it looks like the whole gang's here." I heard a male voice declare.

I turned to see it was Inuzuka Kiba.

He winked at me. "Hey Sakura-chan."

I turned away, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. The guy has been hitting on me for a year, god knows why. It's rather annoying rather than flattering.

"So you guys got dragged into this too. What a drag." A lazy voice stated. It was Nara Shikamaru.

"H-he-l-lo Na-naru-t-to-ku-un." I recognized the quiet voice of Hyuuga Hinata. I forced back a giggle. It was obvious that the shy girl has been crushing on the baka since the beginning of our academy days.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan." He answered back. Of course the only person that was oblivious to the attention he was receiving was Naruto himself.

"So all of the rookie nine are here. I wonder how far are we gonna get, ne Sasuke." Kiba said.

Sasuke smirked. "You seem confident Kiba."

"We won't lose to you." Kiba replied smugly.

"Shut up! Teme here might, but I sure won't!" Naruto announced.

"G-go-m-men Na-naru-t-to-k-kun. Kiba d-didn't me-an it l-like th-at." Hinata said.

"Hey, you guys…I'd quiet down a bit if I were you."

We turned to see an older boy with silver gray hair tied into a ponytail, glasses, and a konoha headband.

"You're the new rookies, right…fresh out of the academy. Well attracting attention here isn't exactly a good thing. Who do you think you are…this isn't a picnic."

I found most of us glaring at the new guy.

"I'm Kabuto, by the way. But instead of looking at me like that…why don't you try behind you?"

I all turned. It took every single nerve for me not to gasp, although Ino, Naruto, and a few others did. Every single person taking the exam…was glaring right at us.

"Those guys behind you are from the Hidden Rain. Very touchy. Everyone's nervous about the exams…so quiet down before you cause a scene.

Well, I can't blame you. You all are clueless rookies after all. You remind me of how I use to be."

I didn't like the looks of the guy for some reason. "Kabuto-san…" I forced myself to use the honorific."…this is your second time taking the exams?"

"No…actually…it's my seventh. The exams are held twice a year…so this will be my fourth year."

Seventh time? Why in the world is he helping us then if he himself had such a hard time passing?

"Well…I guess I could share some info with you cute little rookies…" _Cute?_ "These are info cards." He gestured to the deck of orange cards in his hand.

I watched silently as he demonstrated by concentrating a little chakra onto one of his cards, which revealed to be a map of how many participants are from each village.

"Do you have cards on individuals taking the exam?" Sasuke asked.

What in the world could he want?

"Of course. The information isn't perfect, since we just started…but should have _something_ for you to work with…I'll need a description of course…hair color, height…or one of their techniques perhaps."

"Garra from Suna and Rock Lee from Konoha."

So that's what he wanted.

"Eh…you even know their names. Well that's no fun."

He swiftly pulled out two cards.

"Show me." There was something in Sasuke's eyes that I didn't like.

"…Okay, first in Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys…completing 20 D-rank missions and 12 C-ranks. His sensei is Gai. His taijutsu has improved tremendously, but other than that, there's nothing impressive…Last year, he gained attention as a talented new genin, but did not choose to participate in the exams for some reason, so this will be his first year as well. His teammates are Hyuuga Neji and Ten Ten…

…Next is Garra of the Dessert. Eight C-ranks and…check this out, one B-rank as a genin. He's a newcomer from a foreign country, so I don't really have anything else other than that…but…it would seem that he returned from every mission without a single scratch."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes at that. But he went on a B-ranked mission, with direct combat with other shinobi! How could he escape without a single scratch? Impossible.

I tuned out to the rest of his speech. Why was this guy sharing such information with us? Precious knowledge like this should be kept secret. Is he trying to gather information on us? But why? We're mere rookies. Even Sasuke, the best of our class, cannot compare to some of the other guys here.

He allowed us to see the cards to gain our trust. I was positive about that, but why? There was no way that he just decided to be nice to a group of rookies…especially, yet again…since this is his seventh time taking the exam.

Sasuke and Naruto seem to be trusting this guy. I better warn them. With any luck… maybe Kabuto will miraculously fail the first test, though I doubt it.

Suddenly, I felt Naruto shake next to me. Poor guys…it seems the pressure is getting to him.

"Hey naruto," I said, "don't worry, you'll do gre-"

**"MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO, AND I'M GONNA BEAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU…YOU GOT THAT!!!!!!!!!!!"**

I smiled. He may have given us all a death wish, but it's sure gotten our spirits up. Leave it to Naruto to never get us down.

"Baka! What are you trying to do…get us killed?!" Ino exclaimed. "Sakura…control your teammate!"

I shrugged, again. It seemed easier to ignore Ino rather than answer her.

"Hey…what's the matter with you? You've been acting really rude towards me ever since you graduated. Being a shinobi better not get to your head cause-" Ino was stopped short.

Three Oto nins suddenly appeared out of nowhere and attacked Kabuto. He dodged a kunai and a punch aimed at him effortlessly. However, I caught some sort of device on the Oto nins arm that made me think otherwise.

My thoughts were proven true when Kabuto's glasses suddenly broke.

"Impossible, I saw him dodge the attack. How did that happen?" Sasuke demanded.

Then, Kabuto seemed to throw up as well.

"…You," I looked directly at the man who attempted to punch Kabuto, "what's that on your arm?"

The guy seemed to be surprised at first, then smirked. "It seems the cute little lady is the smartest of them all. You've got good eyes to be able to catch that."

"Hey you," he then faced Kabuto. "Write this on your puny little cards, that 'the three sound nins are definite future chunnins."

Just then, smoke filled the entire room.

"Quiet down you worthless bastards!"

When the smoke cleared, a group of chunnins with a large man dressed in black appeared before us.

As the proctor, Morino Ibiki began scolding the Oto nins, I took the time to quietly whisper in Naruto's ear "Don't trust Kabuto," very low. I swiftly walked towards Sasuke before I got to see his reaction and whispered the same thing, making sure that no one was looking and that Kabuto himself was far away enough himself so that there was absolutely no chance that he might have heard.

"WHAT?!!! IT'S A WRITTEN TEST?!!!!!!" Naruto exclaimed.

Soon, we were separated into different rows. Both Naruto and Sasuke were in front of me. I felt bad for Naruto, knowing that written tests were his weakness.

I listened absentmindedly to the rules, making sure to listen to them, but also taking the time to observe where different people were placed around the room. I noticed that Ino was directly behind me.

The test should be fairly simple. Answer the questions, and don't cheat. The only thing I was worried about was the fact that we were scored as I team. I hoped that Naruto could at least get one of them right.

"Begin!" Ibiki announced.

I quickly looked through the questions and frowned. These defiantly weren't chunnin level questions. They were way too hard! They required a large amount of book smarts as well as actual experience in the field.

What's the catch?

I thought back. No cheating-

Wait, no, scratch that. No getting _caught_ cheating.

So is that what they want us to do. To cheat, but to not get caught? I looked at the examiners next to us. I caught one of their eyes. He stared at me intensely, as if trying to scare me. I didn't back down. He seemed taken back, almost amused, then continued to observe the others. Cheating but not getting caught by these people will be _very_ difficult, but not entirely _impossible_.

I thought back to the bell test. That was an _indirect_ test of teamwork. So what element is this _indirectly_ testing? Our ability to cheat, but not get caught? Like gathering information!

Perhaps…

But that still doesn't explain why we would fail if one of us got zero points.

And the tenth question. What's up with that? There's got to be a catch, something different about the tenth question compared to the other nine.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. I smirked. These people were good. They knew just how to pressure you and confuse you until you're so scared you can barely see the paper.

Morino Ibiki…I better remember that name.

I decided that the best thing to do would be to answer the questions and not ponder about them. After all, this exam is timed.

The questions were hard, but still answerable. I tried my best, double-checking my calculations. Halfway through the exam, I began feeling chakra through the air. So the others are beginning to act as well. I placed thin layer of chakra over my entire body, remembering that Ino was behind me. I can't help it if others cheat from me, but there is no way I'd let her do it. After all, her mind transfer jutsu was perfect for this kind of stuff.

-Ino-

That forehead girl?! She's not even flinching, what's wrong with her?!

Don't tell me she actually knows the answers. That's impossible.

But…

_-Flashback-_

_We were all crowded around the bulletin board where our grades were posted for the end of the year exam. I had already seen my grades for ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. All I needed was my grade for the written exam._

_"Who do you think got the highest?" I heard a random voice ask._

_"Dunno, probably Uchiha Sasuke. He was first in the other three."_

_"You're right, it's probably-no way! It's not Uchiha!"_

_"Nani?!"_

_"Look, it's some girl called Haruno Sakura!"_

_"Really…wait, it's that cute pink haired girl right?"_

_"Yeah, wow…but she is smart."_

_"I guess, she always seems to finish written assignments first. And even when it's really hard, she doesn't even break a sweat."_

_"Really? That's pretty amazing."_

_I stared at the board wide eyed. Sakura?! The same Sakura who gets teased by all the girls because her forehead is too big? How did she manage to get first?_

_I looked at her name at the top of the list with a 100 next to it, then mine somewhere in the middle with an 84._

_That guy even called her _cute_. No guy has ever called _me_ cute._

_That was the day I decided to befriend Haruno Sakura._

_-End of flashback-_

I glared at her. Although the two of us became inseparable, we were never the same. No matter how hard I tried, I could never be on the same page as here.

_Age 6:_

_Sakura and I were doing our homework together during study hall. After a solid ten minutes, I heard her put her pencil down._

_"What, do you need to use the rest room?" I asked._

_She looked at me weird, "Uh, no…I'm done." She gestured to her stack or papers filled with her tiny neat handwriting._

_I looked at my own homework. I was still working on the first assignment._

_Age 8:_

_We were running laps. I was still on my second one, and panting. I saw Sakura pass me, on her third, right behind the fastest students in the class._

_"Come on, Ino-chan! Hurry up. The last people have to clean up the classroom after class," She yelled back._

_Age 10:_

_I was trying very hard to transform into an animal like sensei showed us. I saw smoke next to me. I turned to see not Sakura…but a cute fluffy white rabbit in her place. Sensei immediately came over to praise her._

_"Very good, Sakura-san. And on your first try too. Class, lets all follow Sakura's example here, alright?"_

_Age 11:_

_"Ahhhhhh", I screamed, staring at the large read zit on my chin._

_"Don't pop it," Sakura warned, "you'll just make a big mess."_

_"Then what am supposed to do?!" I exclaimed?"_

_"Just leave it alone. No one will notice it you pretend that nothing is wrong," she suggested._

_I looked at her flawless pale white skin, not a single blemish in place._

_That was the first time I began using makeup._

_Age 12:_

_"Sakura-chan, please go out with me…just one date, I promise it'll be fun." A cute brown haired boy begged._

_She shook her head, then bowed out of politeness._

_"Gomen, but I can't."_

_"Demo…I'll even pay for your half of the bill."_

_"…I'm really not into dating right now. I need to concentrate on being a kunoichi. You'll find someone better, Kyo-kun."_

_She gave him another perfect smile and walked away._

_That was the fifth guy she's turned down this year._

_When is a guy finally gonna ask _me_ out?_

I watched as she put her pen down. I smirked. It's time to act.

I made the necessary handsign.

Ninpou: Mind transfer jutsu.

I aimed for Sakura's back. It's time to put your brains to work. I felt my spirit being pulled and flew towards Sakura. However, when I hit her back, I found myself unable to enter her mind.

After a couple minutes, I finally entered my own body. I glared at her. What the hell happened?

Don't tell me she found a way to stop my mind transfer jutsu as well!

-Sakura-

"Time's up. We will now begin the 10th question."

Now for the mystery to be solved...

"But before I give it to you, I have some additional rules to announce."

More rules?

"First…you can choose whether or not you want to take the tenth question."

......

"What happens if we choose not to?" The sand kunoichi exclaimed.

"Then your points will be automatically reduced to zero, resulting to you and both your teammates to fail the exam."

"Then of course we'll choose to take the question!" A random boy declared.

"Which brings us to the second rule…if you choose to take the question, and answer it incorrectly, then…that person will be dropped from the program…_forever_!"

Impossible. We can't be dropped from the program…can we?

_"…The three of you…will all be dropped out of the program…permanently," Kakashi-sensei declared."_

It's very likely that this may be another trick like that. _Likely_, but not 100% true.

One by one, I watched as multiple people raised their hands. I knew that if there was anybody in the room who can answer the tenth question, it's me.

Well, I'm fine, and Sasuke should be okay with that Sharingan of his.

But what about Naruto?

It's his dream to become Hokage.

I sighed…Naruto is my teammate, and I believe in him. What ever is his decision, I will stand one hundred percent behind him. He's strong.

Then, out of the blue…I watched as Naruto raised his hand…

…Only to slam it down onto the table.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm not afraid of you. I don't care if I'm stuck a genin forever. I'm still gonna become Hokage one day!"

I couldn't help but smile a bit. That boy has guts. And he's right. Rank doesn't matter. You can still get stronger by staying at the same rank.

"This is your last chance to quit. Are you sure?" Ibibki asked.

"I never go back on my word…that's my ninja way!"

I could see everyone else's spirits being lifted. So he's giving all of us a confidence boost as well.

"Very well then…I congratulate you all on passing the first test."

…Nani?

Things went crazy. Everyone began demanding for an answer.

"What about the tenth question?"

He smiled. "There was never such a thing. Well, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

I tuned out mostly to the rest of his speech. I was pretty sure I knew the contents already anyways.

The test tested two things: ability to gather information…and most importantly, the spirit to never back down…no matter what.

Taking the opportunity while everyone else was distracted, I took out a small notepad and a pen with a special kind of ink. I began to make a list.

Rock Lee

Taijusu specialist-amazing speed, strength, flexibility, and stamina.

Large amount of chakra

No ninjustsu or genjutsu

Garra

Good defense system to be able to fight without a scratch

Not someone that we should mess with

Sound Nins

Guy with mask has "gadget on his arm that we should look out for. Might have to so with sound waves and/or vibrations.

Avoid at all cost

Kabuto

Good information gathering skills

DO NOT TRUST HIM. He's trying to befriend us for a reason.

--

I copied the exact same thing again.

Once we were dismissed, after meeting out crazy and loud proctor for the second exam ( Mitarashi Anko), I quickly caught up to my teammates.

"Here, memorize these before tomorrow," I said as I handed the sheets of paper to them. "It's not a lot of information, but we'll need every drop we can get in order to pass the second exam. I have a feeling that the during the second exam, there's gonna be a lot more than our rank that's gonna be on the line.

Get a good night's sleep, and…I know I probably don't have to tell you this, Sasuke…but Naruto, please eat something other that ramen. You need something nutritional. I'm even offering to make you breakfast if you want."

"Really, Sakura-chan?!" His eyes were bright with excitement.

I sighed at his reaction. "Yes, be at my front door at six. You can come if you want to, Sasuke. Either way's fine by me."

"…Hn."

I didn't know if that was a yes or a no.

"Sakura…why shouldn't we trust Kabuto?" Sasuke asked.

I frowned. "Think about it. It's his seventh time taking the exam. He should be desperate to pass, and yet he's helping out the rookies. Also, he' an information gatherer, but why would he want information from mere rookies. No matter how good our skills may be, we don't nearly have enough battle experience compared to more than half the guys there. And finally, even if he was gathering information on us, why would he tell us of his abilities by demonstrating to us with his info cards. Knowledge that important should be kept to him and his teammates only, not random people you just met. He's trying to gain our trust. I don't know why, and I'm not sure I want to either."

"Hn…"

"Wow, Sakura-chan, you're really smart…say, how many questions did you answer on the exam?"

"All of them. I knew how to figure them out."

"Really?! Wow, I didn't answer a single one." He said.

I giggled a bit. Same old Naruto.

I left after a final wave towards them. I failed to see the look of interest that was directed to me by a certain Uchiha.


	14. Chapter 14

**Another Beginning**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

--

Chapter 13: The Forest of Death

-Sasuke-

We all stared at the woman in front of us.

"Congratulations. You've all made it to the second exam. But it's only gonna get harder from here. Because…" She had a sly spark in her eye, "…you'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death."

I narrowed my eyes. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad.

Of course the dobe just _had_ to make fun of her. I watched in disinterest as he was attacked, resulting to a cut on his cheek. What a loser.

"Now, before we start the exams, there's something I want to pass out." She held out a stack of papers. "These are agreement forms that you all have to sign…because if you were to die during this exam…I would be responsible for it," She announced with a smile.

Agreement forms? So it seems this test is finally getting serious.

"Ok, so this is how the exam works. To put it simply…it's a test of survival…" She held out a map. "This is training ground no.44. There are 44 locked gates around the entire area. There is a tower in the middle of the dense forest grounds that are about ten kilometers from each gate…your task is simple…all you have to do, is get your hands on these scrolls," She held out two scrolls. One said heaven, while the other said earth. "Each team will be handed one…so half of you will get a heaven scroll, and half of you will get an earth scroll…To pass this test, your team must arrive at the tower…with both scrolls…you guys see where I'm going with this? You must use what ever force necessary to get them. This is why at _least_ half of you will fail this portion of the exam…Of course, there's also a time limit. You must arrive at the tower with both scrolls in exactly five days."

"FIVE DAYS???!!!!!!!!" The fat kid from the academy exclaimed," But what will we eat?!"

"Relax…the forest is filled with food. Just watch out for the man-eating beast, poisonous insects, and poisonous plants…So you might not only fail during this exam…you might lose your lives as well…Now let's talk about the rules…First, if you don't make it to the tower within the time limit, you obviously fail…Second, if one of your teammates die during the exam, you also fail…Also, there's no quitting in the middle of the exam. You go in now…you're in there for five days…And finally……you may _not_ look into the scroll while you're carrying it to the tower."

"What happens if we do?' Naruto asked.

The woman smiled, "Let's just leave that as a surprise for those who do…Chunnin are going to be asked to carry classified information on missions that cannot be opened under any circumstances. This is going to test your trustworthiness…Well, that's it for explanations…trade your three forms for a scroll at the counter over there, then pick a gate……

……Oh, and one more piece of advice……_Don't die_."

I watched as team after team arrived that the curtained counter to retrieve their scroll. So you can't tell which team gets which scroll, or who on the team is carrying the scroll. It's as that guy Ibiki said…in this test, we will risk our lives to find information.

Everyone is an enemy.

We got off easy on the first test. No one was injured…but now, people can die during this exam.

I pulled out the sheet of paper Sakura had given me yesterday.

_Kabuto_

_Good information gathering skills_

_DO NOT TRUST HIM. He's trying to befriend us for a reason._

I smirked. That girl's smart. She knew what was going on before it happened.

No wonder she always beat me at written exams.

--

-Sakura-

I walked around the courtyard, alone. To anyone else, it probably looked as if I were wondering whether or not to take the exam. But I was actually observing the other teams.

The display of behavior we gave yesterday at the academy was bad. Now all the teams know that we're the rookies. We'll be easy targets. Not good.

I looked around the teams. Not many seemed worried about the exam. This is going to be a fight for life and death.

Am I willing to die? I can't…the whole clan is counting on me. I looked down at my left wrist. I sent a little chakra to the area and watched as a small white circle formed. The Haruno crest. Everyone in the Haruno clan has one, only theirs is black. The white circle represents the heir.

And the heir to the Haruno Clan can make the entire clan do whatever he or she wishes. I can make everyone become my slave if I wanted to…

Well, that is if I can control the power, though I haven't yet. I smiled a bittersweet smile. But if the crest were to be passed onto my Uncle…then it'll all be over.

I can't die…

But I can't back down. If I can't survive this exam, then what will happen when Uncle finally comes after me? He can attack any day now, in fact I'm a bit surprised he waited this long. He won't wait another ten years, that's for sure. If I were to bring another heir into the family, it would be another person more to kill.

I sighed…it looks like this exam will not only test my ability to become a chunnin…but my ability to stay alive as well.

"Well well…if it isn't billboard brow."

I looked up to see Ino and her teammates. "I'm surprised that you made it this far…someone as weak as you."

I narrowed my eyes. Ino's crossing the line. I looked at her face carefully. I could see that her entire complexion was covered in makeup. Since when did she use foundation like a second skin?

"Using weak words as a form of intimidation. How pathetic." I stated.

"Why you! You know, you've been acting really stuck up. Thinking that you're better than everyone. Well you're not. I'm ten times better than you!" She declared.

I saw her teammates sweat drop.

"I'm not better than everyone, but I surely am better than you. You better start getting your act together, or you'll surely die."

"Watch your mouth! Don't you dare forget who befriended you when all the other girls were making fun or your forehead!"

"Yes, and I appreciate you for doing that. And I have tried to keep our friendship. You're the one that changed these years, not me."

"Shut up! You're going down forehead! There is no way you'll be able to past this test. I feel bad for Sasuke-kun that he has to deal with you for five whole days!"

I ignored her. Instead, looking at her scared looking teammates.

"Hey, you two." I called.

They looked up.

"A little piece of advice. Don't trust _anyone_." I turned around and walked the other way. "Including me, for that matter."

--

We waited at gate number twelve. I could see Naruto shaking from excitement. He's either really courageous, or really dumb to take this so lightly.

When the gates finally opened I felt a rush of chakra in the air. So a lot of teams are eager to get this over with. I smirked at their ignorance. High speed won't change anything. They're just wasting their chakra. Ten kilometers is not a long distance…but it's what we'll encounter during those ten kilometers that will make a difference.

The walk was mostly silent. Even Naruto seemed to understand to keep his mouth shut. When we heard a scream, we all looked back. I frowned. Somebody just lost their life.

"Uhh, I gotta go, you know…" Naruto said, unzipping his pants.

I quickly looked away in disgust. "Naruto! I'm a girl…do it behind a bush or something!" I exclaimed.

"Oh…gomen, Sakura-chan."

We waited as he finished his business.

"Ah…that was a lot, I wrote my whole name, he declared."

I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, I saw Sasuke punch him into a tree. I was shocked, but quickly recovered, and looked carefully at Naruto. I saw what made Sasuke react.

"He doesn't have that scratch on his cheek…His kunai hoister is on his left leg…and his chakra feels wrong." I whispered in a low voice.

Sasuke nodded, and quickly jumping up to attack him imposter. I took out a couple kunai as well, and aimed them at the enemy as he fell from the tree.

"Hey, what's the matter with you two!" 'Naruto exclaimed.'

"We're just attacking before you could." Sasuke answered, taking out a kunai knife and charging.

"You two have gone crazy. The fear must be getting to your heads." He said, taking out a kunai as well.

"Who are you? What have you done to Naruto?!" demanded. I began building up chakra for an attack.

"What are you talking about?! I am Naruto." He said.

"Then where's the cut on your cheek that you got before the exams? And why is your kunai hoister on your left leg, when you're right handed. Your transformation technique is worst than Naruto's!" Sasuke said

"I can sense your chakra signature. You're a fraud!" I declared.

We watched as he turned into his original forms. I caught a look at his headband; he was from the village hidden in the Rain.

"So you got me. Doesn't matter, I'm still gonna get your scroll." He stated. "Hand it over, or else. Which one of you has it?"

We made no move to give him any indication.

"Very well, I guess I'll just have to take you both out."

He charged at us.

"I got him. Look for his teammates," Sasuke-kun whispered, jumping up. "Fire style, phoenix flower jutsu!"

I made a shadow clone for protection, then closed my eyes in concentration.

"Harutno Secret Jutsu no. 32: Insight.

I observed the surroundings. I spotted Naruto, but there was no one else here. That guy's pretty stupid to think that he can take us on all by himself.

"There's no one else here. I got Naruto," I announced towards Sasuke. I jumped up onto a tree and threw a kunai at the tied up Naruto. Then I observed Sasuke's fight. I acted quickly when the rain shinobi cornered him with a kuani at his back, throwing one of my own down at him. The battle continued for a couple more seconds, until Sasuke managed to injure the ninja's arm, resulting for him to flee.

I let out a breath that I didn't notice I was holding. That was close.

"We need a password in case a situation like that happens again." Sasuke announced. "The next time, our opponent may not be so weak as to mess up a transformation jutsu. We need a way to figure out who's who quickly and easily."

"What do you propose the password should be?" I asked.

"I got one, but I'll only say it once, so listen carefully…First, ask the ninja song 'Ninki.' And the answer is…'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired, and has his guard down. That is the moment a ninja strikes."

"I got it…but…" I threw a glance towards Naruto. I know for sure that he couldn't memorize something like this. I saw Sasuke give me a look. He's planning something. I'll just have to go along with it.

"Uhhh, could you repeat that?" Naruto asked.

"I said I'd only say it once." Sasuke answered. "I'll take the scroll."

I was just about to stand up, when something cut Naruto's cheek. I all looked in the direction it came from, only to be met by a large blast of wind.

I tired desperately to cling to the ground with my chakra, but failed. I found myself flying through the air. I caught on to a tree branched, and forced chakra to my hands, finding that it was easier than using my feet.

When the windblast finally ended, I found Sasuke underneath me, hiding behind a bush. I swiftly landed near him.

"Sakura…" He swiped out a kunai. "Don't come any closer. What's the password, the ninja song 'Ninki?"

"It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired, and has his guard down. That is the moment a ninja strikes." I recited without missing a beat.

He lowered his kunai. "Hn."

"Hey guys!" Naruto ran towards us panting. "You alright?"

"Matte…what's the password?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I know… It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired, and has his guard down. That is the moment a ninja strikes." He recited, grinning.

Now I know what Sasuke was up to. For someone so arrogant, he's actually pretty smart.

Sasuke acted fast and threw a kunai. Surprisingly, the imposter dodged it.

"So this time it's someone good enough to dodge my attacks." He said.

The imposter smirked and transformed back into his original form. I spotted his headband. He was a grass nin. "Clever. How did you know that I was a fake?"

"I knew that you were hiding from underground." Sasuke explained. "That's why I made up the whole password. There is no way that Naruto would have been able to memorize something as long as that. You had to be a fake"

"I see…you guys are pretty smart. This might actually be fun." He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes. This guy is much stronger than that Rain ninja. This isn't going to be easy.


End file.
